Their walk down Memory Lane has been a wild, emotional journey that, quite often, is more like driving along Rocky Road.But now Ann Christophersen and Linda Bubon—founders of Women & Children First Bookstore, 5233 N. Clark—have hit a milestone that very few in their industry can boast.
Their Andersonville store will celebrate its 30th anniversary Saturday, Oct. 3, with a gala at The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, 5333 N. Sheridan. The special guests will be cartoonist/author Alison Bechdel and writer Dorothy Allison.
"It seems very real to me and I'm flooded with memories," Bubon said. "We sat down a week ago and tried to come up with [ a list of ] key highlights [ from the past 30 years ] and very quickly we were at 12, so we stopped the list."
Christophersen added, "At the 25th anniversary, I felt surprised that it had been 25 years. And the 25 years didn't invoke as much reflection as the 30th [ anniversary ] is doing, and I'm not really sure I can account for it. Sure, 25 years is a long time, but there are a fair amount of independent bookstores that have been open for 25 years. But 30 years is a very rare club.
"One of the things to me that has been very interesting to think about is, all the change that we've seen over 30 years—from how much money we needed to open the business to how much more money we need today to keep our business running, and everything in between."
In November 1979, the two opened a small storefront on Armitage Avenue—Christophersen was 30 at the time, two years older than Bubon. Neither had experience as independent bookstore owners, just a load of excitement and drive.
"The early days, everything then was just thrilling; there was nothing that we couldn't do," Bubon said. "I think we overcame our own lack of experience with unbridled enthusiasm and energy."
Bubon was a former waitress when she joined Christophersen to open Women & Children First in an 850 square-foot facility. Christophersen had worked at a chain bookstore in downtown Chicago the summer before they opened, but she had no management skills or training.
"When we were opening, we called on a lot of people," for help and advice, Bubon recalled. They sought advice for everything—from how to build the shelves, to who could and would loan them a cash register, to the neighbor who designed the graphics for their first bookstore sign, on through to how to order books. "We really relied on the sales representatives from the book publishers to help us in how we order in the early days," Bubon said.
They also were aided by a feminist bookstore in Wisconsin: A Room Of One's Own. "That was a case of building on the foundation built by sisters [ in the industry ] who could offer a model and advice," Christophersen said.
Women & Children First is now in its third Chicago location, filling 3,500 square feet, their largest facility.
"There have been so many obstacles and so many memories over the years," Bubon said. "Heck, when we first opened, we used typewriters for inventory; there were no [ personal ] computers at the time. And eventually, I was not [ interested ] in [ stepping forward ] to modern technology; I was very happy with our manual inventory system. I knew how it worked and it was fine with me. The computer just scared me. I had all kinds of fears of [ switching to a computer. ] Ann worked me over, to get me to see that it would genuinely help us, make us smarter booksellers, so we could better manage our inventory."
They turned to computers in about 1985.
In the early 1990s, Chicago was blitzed with monster-sized chain bookstores; they, of course, had a huge impact on Bubon and Christophersen.
And in 2000, the duo faced major book-selling opposition from the Internet. By 2007, the challenge came from the economy.
Today's biggest challenge is the advent of e-books.
But both would do it all over again.
"I really didn't know, at 28, that I would find the career of my lifetime and that I would find work that I feel I was born to do," Bubon said, fighting back tears. "I feel that I am so good at this.
"I feel like I am just a really good book seller. I don't know what else I could do that I would utilize all of my talents, such as, storyteller, which probably is my favorite thing to do. Doing this work is my life's purpose; it's not just a job. I have never once felt that I was not doing what I was meant to do.
"I feel enormously grateful that I found someone to do it with who has skills so different from mine, skills that complement what I can do. I don't think I would have gotten through the first month [ without Christophersen ] . I was daunted at so many places along the way and so anxious. I think Ann really propelled us through the opening."
Bubon added: "I have a lot of friends who have very satisfying lives, friendships and relationships. But they never found work that occupied their soul and their imagination and creativity."
Said Christophersen: "It's just great to be in a business, in an industry that is just so fundamentally important to so many people."
So how much longer?
Bubon said maybe five more years full-time. Then, hopefully, she can just work part-time and not with primary ownership responsibilities. Christophersen now works at the store only one day a week.
"Part of the reason this is a great industry is: no one goes into it for the money [ that you earn ] ; everyone does this because it's important to them. It's not a way to make a handsome living; we do it for the love of what we're doing," Christophersen said.
The 30th anniversary party will include cocktails, a buffet dinner, dancing, entertainment, a wine-tasting and a fund-raising auction. The after-party will be held at Big Chicks, 5024 N. Sheridan.
"I'm real excited," for the party, Christophersen said. "It will be a real festive night."
More about Ann Christophersen and Linda Bubon:
—Favorite current book: A Gate At The Stairs by Lorrie Moore ( Christopherson ) and Olive Kittridge by Elizabeth Strout ( Bubon )
—Favorite author: Alice Munro ( Christopherson ) and Margaret Atwood ( Bubon )
—Favorite local book: Hard Time by Sara Paretsky ( Christopherson ) and The Short History of a Prince by Jane Hamilton ( Bubon )
—Most underrated author: Gerda Lerner ( Christopherson ) and Lynne Sharon Schwartz ( Bubon )
—Special appearance: The store hosted Hillary Rodham Clinton for a book-signing and they sold more than 1,100 copies of Clinton's books.
—It's a fact: They had 70 volunteers help them move into their current location in one day. "The customer loyalty we have is incredible," Bubon said.
—Employees: "Every single one of our employees over 30 years, whether they were here with us for a year or more, has had an impact on the store," Bubon said.
