PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Downtown Peoria is opening a new chapter.
River City Reading Room on 315 Main St. opened its doors Thursday with a ribbon-cutting. It’s right across from the Peoria County Courthouse, which sees a significant amount of foot traffic.
Chuck Levesque, the owner, said the bookstore will be another unique place in the heart of Downtown Peoria.
“I believe in downtowns. I think downtowns should be fun and exciting, and every downtown should have a bookstore. There wasn’t one here, so I thought it was a nice niche to fill. It’ll be a fun project and a project that also has a community benefit,” he said.
This comes as Downtown has struggled to keep businesses open. Some shopfronts have been vacant for years.
Councilman Alex Carmona represents the 2nd District, where the new bookstore is located. He said it’s a fantastic addition to Main Street.
“It’s an elegant and thoughtful design with various genres for all readers to enjoy. It’s a boutique bookstore that you feel comfortable spending time in. I am proud of Chuck’s entrepreneurial spirit and follow-through to achieve his vision that’s come to life,” he said.
The new bookstore buys and sells books that focus on Illinois authors and artists. In addition, there are sections of kids’, contemporary and classic literature, mystery, crime, romance, science fiction and fantasy.
Levesque said his store also offers a place for friends and family to meet, which is a lost opportunity when people are going online for book reading and shopping.
“I think people still enjoy the feeling of holding a book in their hand and reading it,” he said.
He also said they plan to host book club meetings and author talks.
“I think there’s a need for community. So, this aims to be a true third place, not work, not home, where people can gather,” he said. “You can’t get that out of an electronic book.”
On May 30, the bookshop will host an author talk with Tom Laird, a local writer.