Publishers Weekly announced Monday that Naperville native Anderson’s Bookshop is its selectee for Bookstore of the Year. The bookshop, a family-owned operation for five generations, received dozens of nomination letters and emails, being selected for its community involvement and its status as a literary tastemaker. Readers and publishers alike are proponents of the shop.
The legacy of Anderson’s began in 1875 when the current owners’ great-great grandfather founded W. W. Wickel Pharmacy in Naperville. Along with medicine, the store sold books to the local farming community. In 1964 the current owners’ grandfather opened the family’s first official bookstore, Paperback Paradise, in the space above the pharmacy. Since that time, they’ve opened a location in Downer’s Grove; a children’s wholesale warehouse bookfair company, Anderson’s Bookfair Company; and Two Doors East, a bookstore and souvenir shop.
The shop continues to be a community leader in its literary offerings, events, and distribution. An impressive array of authors have signed books at Anderson’s, including Kristi Yamaguchi, Weird Al Yankovic, and Karen Abbott. Current co-owner Becky Anderson is vice president of the American Booksellers Association and has been selected to serve as president. In the past, she has served as the president of both the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Association of Booksellers for Children. Their Naperville location is located at 123 West Jefferson Street, and is open seven days a week.
