The Book Cellar

Why Doesn’t Chicago Have More Wine Bars in Bookstores? | Eater Chicago

"I note that Suzy Takacs opened the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square in 2004 and was the first bookseller in Chicago to serve wine all the time, not just at readings; she did so because she believed people move on to wine by evening and that book groups are often ‘all about the wine.’ The liquor-license process proved complicated — Takacs says you often don’t know you’ve got the license until it’s in your hand — but three months after opening she had a cafe with wine. As an oenophile, she typically keeps about six reds and six whites on hand along with beer and ingredients for seasonal or book-related cocktails (examples cited include peppermint schnapps hot chocolate and A Gentleman in Moscow mules), and she intentionally encourages customers to drink what they like because wine gives people more than one reason to step in." - Aimee Levitt