Wheaton's indie bookstore moving to Town Square mall
In her last demonstration at her Wheaton bookstore, Sandy Koropp was the relatable home cook vowing never to make ketchup from scratch again.
Her version, requiring nearly 20 different ingredients, wasn't a complete failure. It inspired the gathering to swap recipes and stories about other kitchen fails.
"I always try to get everyone talking about their cookbooks and their experiences," Koropp said. "It's often very intergenerational with people from their 20s to their 80s in the same room."
On any given day at Prairie Path Books, patrons are connecting with each other because of Koropp, the genuinely curious, thought-provoking owner of the indie bookstore.
"I have the best customers in the world. I love chatting with them," she said. "I've had so many conversations with people about everything that's going on in their lives today ... We really know our people, and we remember what they told us the last time we saw them. So it's truly a warm, gathering, family sort of environment."
Which is why when Koropp has big news of her own to share - Prairie Path Books is moving to a storefront in the Town Square outdoor mall - she writes a blog post with a warm greeting ("Happy winter friends!"), an update on her latest reading binge and the family memories that make her new location feel "like home."
"That mall is just the perfect sort of smaller mall experience, very manageable," Koropp said. "I love the look and feel of it, and I still do. Pretty early on, as my husband says, I had the heart before my cart because my heart was definitely there."
Nearly five years ago, Koropp and co-owner Jenny Riddle opened their cozy store in a former model apartment in the Toms-Price Home Furnishings store on the edge of the downtown.
Scott Price championed Koropp's start in brick-and-mortar bookselling - at age 50 with no retail experience and a background in law. The family business invited her into the space and agreed to let her use it rent-free.
"It just seemed possible to me even though there were a lot of things that were hard about it," Koropp said. "Once I knew that, I went gun-ho forward, and so I'm grateful for that."
A Wheaton church is buying the Toms-Price building, prompting Koropp to relocate her shop to a Town Square space that Yankee Candle Company will leave by the end of the month. She will have to replicate the nooks and crannies that made the original store a place where you want to curl up with a book, a blanket and your cat.
"We were very lucky to get sort of a homelike environment in our first store, and we're going to have to create that in the new space, but it is already the perfect size and very snug and welcoming," Koropp said.
In her blog, she's nostalgic about the move to the mall. It's where her children grew up browsing shelves in the old Barnes and Noble. And it's where she had her first conversation with a friend about opening her own bookstore.
"The community experience that my family and neighbors so enjoyed at Town Square mall is a great place to be for independent retail," Koropp said. "I just loved the sense of stroll that I had when I was there with my parents or my kids or my friends."
In the new space, she will again provide all the comforts of home: twinkle lights, Toms-Price furniture, handwritten recommendations and homemade baked goods. Koropp may not have mastered ketchup, but she's known for leaving her customers yummy treats (see: apple pie bars around the holidays).
"We will continue to have our cooking demonstrations, which are a huge part of the joy of my experience in having the bookstore because cookbooks are so important to me," she said.
The store's cookbook selection is extensive and carefully curated by Koropp, who leads the demonstrations with co-chef Cathy Schulbaum.
"Everything she does turns out exactly like the picture. I am the opposite. So we're hilarious together as sort of Mutt and Jeff," said Koropp, referring to the comic book characters. "I have great parties and I make good food, but she's at another level."
Her "I Love Books" opening bash with Riddle is sure to be a great party in the new space at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13. Their first full day of business is Valentine's Day.
"The bare-bones of the place are absolutely perfect for us to do our magic," she said.