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Editor’s note: A previous version of this story inaccurately stated that William Fiedler died. The story has been updated.
LAKEVIEW — The door that leads to the basement of Gallery Bookstore, past rows of cluttered bookshelves that tower as high as the ceiling, is covered in newspaper obituaries for authors and journalists famous and obscure: Saul Bellow, Stuart Brent, Jimmy Breslin and dozens of others.
The bookstore’s owner — William “Bill” Fiedler — is a fan of old things. On the shelves of Gallery Bookstore, one could find books on CD, copies of Penthouse and Playboy magazines from the early ’60s and thousands of books from every genre imaginable.
Fiedler is also a private man and a recluse of sorts. That’s part of the reason there was little fanfare when he announced his retirement and the store’s closing, said Rebecca George, co-owner of Volumes Bookcafe in Wicker Park.
“I hadn’t been up here in maybe a year or two, but I used to go there all the time,” George said. “It was exactly as I remembered it: nice, but so full. There’s even a basement full of stuff. I don’t think people realize all that’s in there, just hiding in the crevices.”
To honor Fiedler’s bookstore and his massive collection of used books, George and other local bookstore owners are hosting an “end of an era” sale Saturday at Gallery Bookstore, 923 W. Belmont Ave.
“Bookstores are spaces people are attached to,” George said. “People are going to want to say goodbye.”
Gallery Bookstore opened in 1927 and had two owners in its nearly 100-year history. Nearly every day since Fiedler bought the store in 1989, he could be found reading and tinkering behind the small front counter, which was messily decorated with relics from generations ago.
While cleaning out the store over the past week, George has found gems that Fiedler kept right at his feet.
“I found all sorts of things,” George said. “A newspaper front page from 1945 with the headline ‘Hitler is Dead.’ Another one from the day after Kennedy’s assassination saying, ‘A Nation Mourns.’ Old Playboys, Hustlers, history books, poetry books and leather-bound classics. The kind of books rich people used to have? He’s got so many of those.”
To sift through and preserve some of the items Fiedler collected, George called the Newberry Library for help. Suzanne Karr Schmidt, curator at Newberry Library, spent Tuesday afternoon filling a crate of books, leaflets and other items with ties to Chicago’s history.
Cleaning out the bookstore has been a tremendous undertaking, George said. The crew helping out — which includes employees from Volumes Bookcafe, Myopic Books and Bookies Bookstore — is clearing the shelves in waves.
“The other day we came in and took boxes of books and the amount we took barely made a dent,” George said. “It doesn’t even look like we were there.”
Some of the collection will be donated to Newberry and the Chicago History Museum. Book dealers can get an early glimpse at the collection by securing $10 tickets here.
The main event is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, while the remainder will help pay for back rent to Gallery’s landlord, George said.
Recognizing Fiedler’s collection and his love for the store was important for George and the other bookstore owners.
“We all cherish these spaces and think they’re necessary,” George said. “If one goes away, we mourn that. There are some really amazing books and finds in this space, and it would be a tragedy to lose it all. He spent so much time on that, too. That’s his love and care. I’d hate to have them just disappear or end up in a dumpster or something. So we’re going to try and get them on as many people’s home bookshelves as possible.”
After Saturday’s sale, George and the rest of the group will reassess the inventory and may announce another sale in the near future.
As for the long-term future of the store, things are murky. A 200-unit apartment building being developed at 925 W. Belmont Ave. had already jeopardized Gallery’s future before Fiedler’s retirement.
The bookstore may open again under new ownership for a limited time, depending on the timeline of the development on Belmont, George said.
Gallery Bookstore’s website is about as simple and old school as one would imagine. On one page, Fiedler left a question addressing the future of the store.
“Reluctantly, the time has arrived to consider my retirement. Therefore, the store is now being offered for sale to a possible successor,” Fiedler wrote. “The haunting question lingers: Will there remain open-door used bookstores as we continue to be crushed beneath the glacial digital aeon?”
At least for another week, Gallery lives on, above its own dusty floors and the glacial digital aeon.
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