Renaissance Books

Last updated
Renaissance Books old downtown store Milwaukee renaissance books.jpg
Renaissance Books old downtown store

Renaissance Books is a large independent bookstore originally located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, specializing in used books. Founded in the 1950s by George John and Erwin Just, it is now owned by Robert John, George's younger brother. [1] The store's former main building (a former furniture warehouse) was five stories high (plus the two-story building next door and another down the block) housing somewhere from 350,000 to 600,000 volumes. The New York Times described it as "like a book collector’s attic, with boxes of used books lining the floor of this century-old former furniture store. But it’s more organized than it looks, with about a half-million books parceled among dozens of categories ('animal husbandry' 'theater practices and problems')". [2] [3] The local Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described it as, "bursting at the seams with used books... easy to get lost among the mazelike shelves." [4]

Contents

Airport branch

Renaissance Books location in Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport; Milwaukee, WI. Renaissance Books in General Mitchell International Airport.JPG
Renaissance Books location in Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport; Milwaukee, WI.

Renaissance operates a branch at Milwaukee's Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, which opened in 1979. [1] With strong aviation, history, cooking and genre fiction sections, plus rare books, [5] it is believed to have been the world's first used book store in an airport. [6] It holds about 60,000 volumes; in a recent The New York Times article, it was praised for its "quirkiness", with one customer saying, "They are totally not what people think of with an airport bookstore. They are kind of funky and it is a very Milwaukee thing." [7]

"Eyesore" controversy

In June 2011 the Journal Sentinel ran an article in its Business section headlined "City, businesses bemoan bookstore eyesore" which described the downtown location as "the eyesore on an otherwise attractive block.... part bookstore, part dustbin" and quoted nearby business owners as condemning the property as a blight on their neighborhood. The store was contrasted to the airport location, which it conceded "is one of the terminal's most popular features. The place is clean, well-lighted and attractive". The article contained speculation that owner John's motivations ranged from active perversity to "gaming the system" to a simple inability to perceive that clutter offends other people. [8] In 2011, the city of Milwaukee closed down the store because of structural concerns about the building. [9]

In November 2015, the city ordered John to demolish the downtown building [10] because of unsafe structural conditions dating back to the early 20th century. [11]

In May 2016, it was reported that the property had been sold to Milwaukee real estate developer Tim Gokhman. Gokhman said he would have an engineering study done to determine if the building could be saved. It was unclear what happened to the books which had been housed in the shuttered building(s). [12]

Other branches after downtown closure

In November 2012, it was reported that Renaissance Books would open a branch downtown at the nearby The Shops of Grand Avenue retail mall. [9] [13] In October 2018, it was reported that the Grand Avenue branch was closing down and moving to Southridge Mall on the south side of Milwaukee County. [14] The new store opened on Black Friday of 2018 under the management of "Ink" Lowrey, a second-generation Renaissance employee. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Avenue (Milwaukee)</span> Shopping plaza in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.

The Avenue is an urban shopping plaza currently under renovation that spans three city blocks in the downtown neighborhood of Westown in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There is one store anchored by T.J. Maxx and GRAEF-USA Incorporated, and three vacant spaces last occupied by Old Navy, OfficeMax, and Linens 'n Things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicollet Mall</span> Shopping, transit and pedestrian space in Minneapolis

Nicollet Mall is a twelve-block portion of Nicollet Avenue running through Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is a shopping and dining district of the city, and also a pedestrian mall and transit mall. Along with Hennepin Avenue to the west, Nicollet Mall forms the cultural and commercial center of Minneapolis.

Marshall Field & Company was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc, acquired it in 2005. Its founder, Marshall Field, was a pioneering retail magnate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimbels</span> American department store

Gimbel Brothers was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the company moved its operations to the Gimbel Brothers Department Store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It became a chain when it opened a second, larger store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1894, moving its headquarters there. At the urging of future company president Bernard Gimbel, grandson of the founder, the company expanded to New York City in 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Books Kinokuniya</span> Japanese bookstore chain

Books Kinokuniya is a Japanese bookstore chain operated by Kinokuniya Company Ltd., founded in 1927, with its first store located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Its name translates to "Bookstore of Kii Province". The company has its headquarters in Meguro, Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayfair Mall</span> Shopping mall in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

Mayfair Mall is a shopping mall located on Mayfair Road between North Avenue and Center Street in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States. It serves the Greater Milwaukee area, also Wisconsin's premier shopping Center and Largest Mall in Wisconsin with 161 stores. Mayfair Shopping Center was constructed from 1956 and completed in 1959 by the Hunzinger Construction Company. It has been expanded several times since it was first built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southridge Mall (Wisconsin)</span> Shopping mall in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, U.S.

Southridge Mall is a regional shopping mall located in the Milwaukee County suburbs of Greendale and Greenfield, Wisconsin. At 1,177,783 square feet it is Wisconsin's second largest mall behind Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa, tied with Fox River Mall in Appleton. The mall's anchor stores are TJ Maxx, Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Macy's, JCPenney, and Round 1 Entertainment. There are 2 vacant anchor stores that were once Boston Store and Kohl's. Sears closed in September 2017, Kohl's relocated to a mixed use development on September 29, 2018, and Boston Store closed in Summer 2018 as parent company Bon-Ton went out of business. The former Sears was replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Round 1 Entertainment, and TJ Maxx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boise Towne Square</span> Shopping mall in Boise, Idaho

Boise Towne Square is a mall in the western United States, located in Boise, Idaho. The largest retail complex in the state, it opened in 1988 after more than 20 years of planning, and features 150 stores, with Macy's, JCPenney, Kohl's and Dillard's as anchor stores. The mall also includes the first Apple Store in Idaho. Boise Towne Square is owned by the Chicago-based Brookfield Properties and is located near the junction of Interstate 84 and Interstate 184.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baird Center</span> Convention center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Baird Center is a convention and exhibition center located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The center is part of a greater complex of buildings which includes the UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Miller High Life Theatre, and was a replacement for the former Great Hall portion of the MECCA Complex.

Regency Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping mall in Racine, Wisconsin. The mall has a gross leasable area of 872,409 square feet (81,049.4 m2). It features 110 retail spaces, and six anchor stores, Dunham's Sports, Bob's Discount Furniture, Planet Fitness, Ross Dress For Less, Party City, and Joann. There are 2 vacant anchor stores that were once Boston Store and Burlington. The fourth original anchor store structure, formerly JCPenney, has been subdivided into three in-line stores. Located at the junction of state highways 31 and 11, the building is surrounded by several freestanding stores and restaurants, including a Target store.

Northridge Mall is a soon to be demolished abandoned enclosed shopping mall located in the northern part of Milwaukee, Wisconsin that first opened in August 1972. It was developed by Taubman Centers. The mall's original anchor stores were JCPenney, Sears, Boston Store, and Gimbels. Gimbels was sold to Marshall Field's, then H. C. Prange Co., and finally Younkers. The mall underwent a period of decline and was shuttered in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayshore (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in Wisconsin, United States

Bayshore is an open-air shopping mall/mixed use complex including retail shops, restaurants, offices and residential units in Glendale, Wisconsin. It is currently anchored by Barnes & Noble, Kohl's, Total Wine & More, and Target along with one of the Milwaukee area's two Apple Stores. Originally an outdoor strip mall built in 1954, it was converted into an enclosed mall in 1974. The first of two major redevelopments began in 2006, Bayshore Town Center was redeveloped into a mixed use center. In February in preparation of the next redevelopment, some stores began to move to new locations in the mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Place (Seattle)</span> Shopping mall in Washington, U.S.

Pacific Place is an upscale shopping center in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. Opened on October 29, 1998, it is located at 6th Avenue and Pine Street and has a total area of 335,000 square feet (31,100 m2). It has five floors, the uppermost of which features an 11-screen AMC Theatre and various restaurants. Pacific Place also features a skybridge that connects it to Seattle's Nordstrom flagship. During the Christmas season, there is an artificial snow display every night at 6 p.m. in the atrium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schuler Books & Music</span> Bookstore

Schuler Books is an independent bookseller with four locations across the U.S. state of Michigan. Along with new and used books, Schuler stores feature an extensive gift section, magazines, print on demand services, event spaces, and a café.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookfield Square</span> Shopping mall in Wisconsin, United States

Brookfield Square is a regional shopping mall located in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. Waukesha Metro Route 1 serves the mall and connects to downtown Waukesha and MCTS Connect 1 to downtown Milwaukee. The mall is located at the intersection of Bluemound Road and Moorland Road, near Interstate 94. It is managed by CBL & Associates Properties. The anchor stores are JCPenney, WhirlyBall, Marcus Theatres, and Barnes & Noble. There is 1 vacant anchor store that was once Boston Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herpolsheimer's</span> American department store in Michigan

Herpolsheimer's was a department store company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muskegon Mall</span> Shopping mall in Michigan, United States

Muskegon Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in downtown Muskegon, Michigan. Opened in 1976, it closed in 2001 and was torn down for redevelopment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Mall</span> Shopping mall in Wisconsin, United States

Memorial Mall is a former indoor shopping mall located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, since redeveloped and anchored by a new Meijer hypermarket. Opened in 1969, it currently features Kohl's and four other smaller stores in the former south mall wing, with three additional stores within the Meijer space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza 8</span> Pedestrian mall in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S.

Plaza 8 was a pedestrian mall located in Downtown Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The mall stretched three and half city blocks in length from Ontario Avenue south past New York Avenue on North 8th Street. The area is now the Harbor Centre Downtown.

References

  1. 1 2 "Shabby Image Threatens to Cost Airport Bookstore Its Lease", The Wall Street Journal , July 9, 1980
  2. ↑ Casey, Maura J. "36 Hours in Milwaukee: 10 a.m. 4) BIBLIOPHILE’S DELIGHT" The New York Times October 5, 2008
  3. ↑ "Used bookstores in Milwaukee", OnMilwaukee.com, July 3, 2000
  4. ↑ Frank, Nicholas. "Downtown Shops Fulfill Wish List Dream" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Nov. 9, 2000: Holiday Lights Festival Supplement, pages 2, 6
  5. ↑ "The Bookstore Arrives at Airports", Publishers Weekly , Sept. 12, 2005
  6. ↑ "The Challenge of Airport Bookselling", Publishers Weekly, July 13, 1984
  7. ↑ Luongo, Michael T. "Holiday Shopping on the Fly" The New York Times Business Day section, December 11, 2012
  8. ↑ Romell, Rick. "City, businesses bemoan bookstore eyesore" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel June 16, 2011
  9. 1 2 Vogel Davis, Stacy. "Renaissance Book Shop to open at Grand Avenue" Milwaukee Business Journal November 9, 2012
  10. ↑ Spicuzza, Mary. "City moves to demolish downtown Renaissance Book Shop building". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ Horne, Michael. "Plenty of Horne: City Goes Medieval on Renaissance" UrbanMilwaukee.com November 15, 2015.
  12. ↑ Daykin, Tom. "Apartment developer buys former Renaissance Book Shop" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 11, 2016.
  13. ↑ Daykin, Tom. "Jake's Deli, Renaissance Books opening at Grand Avenue" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel November 9, 2012
  14. ↑ Rommell, Rick. "Renaissance book shop moves from Grand Avenue to Southridge" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel November 5, 2018
  15. ↑ Schultz, Blaine. "Renaissance Books Opens at Southridge: Storied Milwaukee bookseller trades Grand Avenue for Southridge Mall" Shepherd Express December 11, 2018

42°56′52″N87°54′08″W / 42.9478°N 87.9023°W / 42.9478; -87.9023

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.