Pilsen Community Books, located in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, has new owners. In July, Aaron Lippelt and Mary Gibbons put the bookshop up for sale so they could concentrate on the Dial Bookshop, which they opened in the Loop in November 2017.
Katharine Solheim, Mandy Medley and Thomas Flynn, who have 41 years of combined experience in the business, have purchased Pilsen Community Books.
"It was obvious to us almost immediately that Katharine, Thomas and Mandy were the right people for the job," said Lippelt and Gibbon in a statement. "Their passion for and experience with bookselling, their commitment to community-building, and their desire to build a sustainable business were undeniable."
The new owners of Pilsen Community books said they are committed to continuing the standards set by Lippelt and Gibbons: "As career booksellers, we understand that PCB is more than a store or a business. [It is] a refuge for literature, a strong defense against the ever increasing disposability of culture and one of the few remaining third places in our rapidly privatizing society."