PEORIA – River City Reading Room owner Chuck Levesque chose a Main Street location for his business because he believes every city’s downtown should have a bookstore.
“This is a beautiful block of Main Street with some nice old buildings,” he said. “I really thought it would be a wonderful mission to bring a building back to life and hopefully create some life on Main Street as well. I thought it would also be a wonderful location for me to be part of the civic life of Peoria.”
While not a Peoria native, Levesque began to develop an affinity for the area about 12 years ago, when he bought and refurbished a small home in Henry. He began spending weekends there while working at the Chicago-based homeless services organization Depaul USA and found himself appreciating Peoria’s restaurants, sporting events, plays and concerts.
He also bought a small home near Bradley University in 2022, refurbished it and opened it as an Airbnb. His decision to open add a bookstore to Downtown Peoria’s business scene came last year as he prepared to retire from Depaul USA.
“I decided that I wanted my next venture to address my dual interests of building community and entrepreneurism,” Levesque said. “I thought an independent new-book bookstore downtown would be a great fit.”
Levesque does not believe River City Reading Room fits in the used bookstore niche because he intends to focus the store’s inventory primarily on new books. It is different from a chain like Barnes & Noble because it is a much smaller operation and because Levesque personally curates the books in the store’s inventory.
“I want this to be a real third place,” he said. “It will be a place that’s not home and not work, but just a place where people can gather.”
When the store opens, Levesque hopes that the warm, welcoming space he envisioned will be a convivial atmosphere for book club meetings. He said he would also like to host author readings, salon talks and art exhibits. River City Reading Room will offer Bradley students, faculty and staff a 10% discount on book purchases.
River City Reading Room, located at 315 Main St., plans to open April 22. Levesque is planning to host a reception April 25 for people who supported his effort and helped him get the store established.
Hours of operation will be 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: New Peoria bookstore owner hopes to add more life to Main Street
Reporting by Mike Kramer, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
