Earlier this week, Chicago Ideas spoke to Alex Nall, one of the organizers of Chicago Zine Fest. One thing that kept coming up time and again was that, even in its eighth year, Zine Fest serves a community, but only one weekend a year. But this weekend, Nall will host a panel spotlighting a Chicago institution that’s been fostering a similar community for over two decades: Quimby’s bookstore. 

Founded in 1991 by Steven Svymbersky (though he sold it four years later) throughout its 26-year existence, Quimby’s has been one of the most vocal champions of emerging voices, stocking its shelves with independently-produced, handmade publications from people the world over. But more importantly, it’s been a meeting spot for like-minded Chicagoans of all backgrounds. Speaking to Liz Mason, a manager at Quimby’s, she details how the store hasn’t strayed from this mission, honoring the store’s original intent year after year. 

“We’ve attempted to keep with Steven [Svymbersky]’s original mission statement, which was to carry independently published and small press, books, comics, zines, periodicals and just weird stuff,” said Mason. Quimby’s takes books on consignment, meaning that anyone can get their work into the store and, once it sells, both the artist and Quimby’s get paid. “That allows us to take the chance on funky stuff that other stores can’t take on.” And in that process, it’s given a home to works that wouldn’t otherwise have one. 

Recently, Svymbersky has returned to this mission by opening a Quimby’s store in New York City. But unlike the Chicago location, which does stock books and magazines by major publishers, the New York outpost is only selling zines. “Steven’s reached an audience for these little books that cost somewhere between twenty-five cents to five bucks, and I think Quimby’s is going to be around to stay,” said Nall. And while Chicago is full of independent bookstores, few put the focus on the independent voices in the way Quimby’s does. With sections of its store dedicated to everything from independent music to queer culture—as well as a section dedicated to Chicago zinesters—Quimby’s offers a cross-section of ideologies and interests for anyone in need of a connection. “There really is no other place like it,” said Nall.

Mason also believes that creating a zine is a small-scale version of entrepreneurship. “It’s like a cycle. There is this phenomenon of people knowing if they make stuff they can bring it here, and therefore, that makes them want to make more,” she said. And it’s that idea of making, of taking your ideas, experiences and innermost thoughts and putting them to paper, that Quimby’s continues to inspire. In a city full of bookstores, Quimby’s is a good reminder of why independent bookstores are critical to a city’s creative identity. 

The panel on Quimby’s takes place at Chicago Zine Fest this Saturday, May 6, at 12:15pm. Quimby’s is located at 1854 W. North Ave., and they look forward to stocking your future zine.