(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A man whose North Side bookstore was filled with as much warmth as words is being remembered.
John Chandler, who ran Bookman's Corner in the 2900 block of North Clark, died Feb. 14. He was 87.
The book store was known for its cluttered demeanor and the sign in its window, which proclaimed, "Books - Rare, Medium, Well Done.”
"It was a store that was very unlike any other store you can imagine. You went in there and it was a wild example of disorganization,” Chandler's longtime friend and customer, Jack Stanley, said, laughing. “There was stuff everywhere. And there were piles all around him."
And yet there was a method to the madness, Stanley says.
"You'd go in and say, 'What about that book you're holding for me?' and he'd point to a pile and he'd pull it out. And he knew where everything was. It was really quite incredible."
Stanley says Chandler's customers were more important than profits.
"He really was a charming gentleman and there were so many people coming in to just talk with him. I think he was more concerned with making everybody happy than selling anything. He was really sweet, and we're sure gonna miss him."
A memorial for Chandler will be held this Friday, Feb. 24, at Lakeview Funeral Home.
Below was updated on March 2, 2023.
WBBM visited Bookman's Corner on March 2 to find the windows covered in brown paper and signs saying the shop was closed.
A sign displaying when Chandler's memorial service was held adorned the dark windows, along with a poem, copyrighted by R. Lincoln Harris. The page notes that more of his works are available at www.poeticous.com/r-lincoln-harris.
Farewell to a Bookman and his Corner
Everyone who loves books--
The smell of them
The way they feel in your hands
How they can accompany us through our lives---
Lost a friend when John Chandler passed away.
He ran a bookstore on the North side of Chicago
Called Bookman's Corner
Which was teeming with books
Of all sizes and genres and subjects.
If you walked out of his shop without
A few new treasures
And at bargain prices, too!
Then you probably didn't
Enjoy reading all that much.
John provided a public service
which transcended paper and ink.
He created a community
For all those who were willing
To come and be a part of it.
His passing must remind us all
That books and the ideas they hold
Have the wonderful capacity
to outlive any one of us.
There were no final clearance sales
At John's shop in Chicago.
No final looks at the merchandise
And no opportunity to thank him
For providing us bookworms with a
Such a special place to navigate.
Cherish those people and places
That you think will never go away
Because in time, all of them will.
And all that remains will be memories.
As incomplete and unreliable as
They always tend to be.
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