Category: store news

  • Zine Club Chicago In Person: Chicago Stories Edition, March 24th!

    A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of the Chicago skyline and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Chicago Stories Edition; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park; 7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24, 2023”

    Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: Chicago Stories Edition
    7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24
    Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave
    Free!

    The big-shouldered metropolis we call home has inspired countless self-publishers, so this month Zine Club Chicago is celebrating zines about Chicago! We’ll be bringing back our discussion-meets-show-and-tell format for this in-person gathering, so please bring your favorite Chicago zines to share.

    Join us for Zine Club Chicago In Person: Chicago Stories Edition at 7-9 p.m. Friday, March 24 here at the shop, 1854 W. North Avenue in Wicker Park. We’ll have snacks on hand! Masks are strongly encouraged when you’re not noshing.

    Out-of-town friends, Zine Club Chicago will be back on Zoom with y’all in April! If you’d like to get together virtually with zine pals in March, check out Zine Party!, hosted by Michael Verdi, at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, March 14. For more info and the Zoom link, visit next.zine.party

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event here.

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of the Chicago skyline and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Chicago Stories Edition; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park; 7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24, 2023”

  • Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: No Sleep 'Til Stapling Zinemaking Hangout, Jan. 21st!

     

    Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: No Sleep ’Til Stapling Zinemaking Hangout!
    7-11 p.m. CT Saturday, January 21
    Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Avenue
    Free!

    Is making progress on your zine projects one of your new year’s resolutions? Then kick off 2023 with Zine Club Chicago at the No Sleep ’Til Stapling Zinemaking Hangout!

    Bring your work-in-progress, create a new zine on the spot, or just catch up with other zine folks at our 4-hour Saturday night event here at the shop. (This gathering will channel the chill hangout vibe of Quimby’s Zlumber Parties of yore.)

    We’ll have zinemaking supplies, creative prompts, and snacks on hand. Zinemakers are encouraged to bring their zines to swap with others! We’ll keep the party rolling from 7 to 11 p.m.; feel free to drop in anytime during the evening. (Bonus points if you wear your cutest pjs.)

    Out-of-town friends, Zine Club Chicago will be back on Zoom with y’all in February for a special event that could only happen online! If you’d like to get together virtually with zine pals this month, check out Zine Party!, hosted as always by Michael Verdi, at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, January 10. For more info and the Zoom link, visit zine.party.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event here.

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a table full of people making zines, hanging out, and eating snacks, with text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: No Sleep ‘Til Stapling Zinemaking Hangout! In Person! Free!;Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Avenue in Wicker Park; 7-11 p.m. CT Saturday, January 21”

  • Happy Holidays from Quimby's!

    Step into the wintery wonderland that is the Quimby’s holiday window display! Designed by our Artist-in-Residence Ashley Wilfong* (an actual position here that is totally not made up) and assisted by employee-and-artiste Echo Elise Gonzalez (check out her Dream Bindery notebooks!), the window features staff favorite books, zines, and gifts peppered among miniature buildings and festooned trees. Don’t miss the Chicago skyline in the background, the garland of colorful zines, and the tree hanging with mini-zine ornaments. Stop by anytime from 12-6 Th-M and peruse our collection of books, zines, comics, and curiosities. The store is filled with perfect gift options of every size–come in and grab something for your friends, family, maybe even yourself? We won’t tell.

    * Ashley relocated this year from West Virginia to Chicago, where she is constantly reminded of the magic of our city. This is her first time making a public display and she designed it to be a place where a tiny two-headed mouse would like to live. Check out her neighborhood favorite cocktail bar Nighthawk in Albany Park.

  • Zine Club Chicago Online: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party, Dec. 13th!

    A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a pair of feet clad in cozy socks, propped up on a table next to a stack of books with a mug set on top and a roaring fire in the background, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party!; Online! Free!; Zoom info on quimbys.com and zine.party; 7:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022”

    Zine Club Chicago Online: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party!
    7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, December 13 on Zoom
    Free!

    This month, Zine Club Chicago is teaming up again with Zine Party! to ring out 2022 with a festive online gathering! Let’s get cozy, make mini zines together, and discuss our highlights of the year in self-publishing. Zine Club Chicago will set up a swap by mail after the event for folks who’d like to share the mini zine they made, too.

    Grab your zinemaking supplies*, BYOH(ot)C(ocoa), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party! at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, December 13.

    ** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday Dec. 12 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT Tuesday, Dec. 13.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    Zine Party!, a monthly Zoom hangout for folks who make zines, is hosted by Michael Verdi on the second Tuesday of each month. Find out more at zine.party

    More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event is here.

    * You’ll need a few sheets of 8.5×11” paper, a pair of scissors, whichever implements you prefer for writing/drawing/etc., and your creativity! If you’ve never made a mini zine before, here’s a quick video tutorial (and we can provide any assistance you need at the event, too): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiUzo41dh5Q

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a pair of feet clad in cozy socks, propped up on a table next to a stack of books with a mug set on top and a roaring fire in the background, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party!; Online! Free!; Zoom info on quimbys.com and zine.party; 7:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022”

  • Support Quimby's on Cyber Monday (Or Any Day, Really)

    It being Cyber Monday we thought we would give a shout out to the multiple ways you can use your hard earned moolah to support us with your mail order.
    You probably know we have a webstore at quimbys.com where we sell all our QuimbSwag (gift certificates, t-shirts, all that stuff) and a select few other exciting things. You can have stuff shipped! Or you can select Curbside Pickup and we’ll hold it for you!
    But did you know your can also order from bookshop.org and give us a kickback?
    Here’s the story with that. Let’s say you want a book we carry (or even a book we don’t carry) though it’s not available on our website. (See our bookshop.org link in our bio.) But you still want to buy it from Quimby’s. Our online bookshop.org store provides that opportunity and also lets you order your guilty pleasure book you don’t want anyone to know you’re reading. And you have it shipped directly to you! Your favorite bookstore (that would be um, us) gets a commission when you select Quimby’s as the store. We thank you for that! There are some curated lists over there too if you need some suggestions. Just make sure the Quimby’s logo is in the upper left corner and you’re gold.
    Astute Quimby’s fans will recall back in the day we used to have a version of this that we used to joke about and we called it Quimazon? It was that thing that nobody used because it was awkward and confusing. Remember that? Bookshop.org is a much better version of that, an iteration that’s easy to use and updated in a way that makes sense for people. Hoo-ray!
  • Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: SNAX Release Party + Zinemaking Hangout, Nov. 18th!

    Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: SNAX Release Party + Zinemaking Hangout!
    7-9 p.m. Friday, November 18
    Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Avenue
    Free! 

    In November, Zine Club Chicago is gathering in person to celebrate the release of SNAX, its fresh-off-the-presses collab zine! Join us at the bookstore from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, November 18 to meet some of the awesome SNAX contributors, make fun-sized mini zines with us and, of course, share some snacks!

    The SNAX Release Party + Zinemaking Hangout will be Zine Club Chicago’s first in-person event since February 2020 here at Quimby’s. We’re excited to get together with our local friends! We’ll have zinemaking supplies and snacks on hand. Please feel free to bring a treat to share, if you like. Masks are encouraged when you’re not snacking.

    SNAX contributors, you’re welcome to pick up your free copy of the zine at the party. We’ll have copies for sale at the shop and on our website, as well.

    Online friends, Zine Club Chicago will be back on Zoom with y’all in December to ring out 2022 with an extra fun holiday event! If you’d like to get together virtually with zine friends this month, please join us at Zine Party, hosted by Zine Club Chicago fave Michael Verdi, at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, Nov. 8. For more info and to get the Zoom link, visit zine.party.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events. Thank you to SNAX Co-Editor Rachel Hyman for creating our flyer this month!

    More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event is here.

    Image description: A multi-colored flyer featuring a collage of various snack foods, the red-and-blue Zine Club Chicago logo, images of a stapler and a pair of scissors, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON! SNAX Release Party + Zinemaking Hangout; 7-9 p.m. Friday, November 18; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.; Free!; Info: quimbys.com”

  • Zine Club Chicago Online: Queer History Month Edition with Special Guests QZAP, Oct. 20th!

    This month, Zine Club Chicago is excited to welcome Milo, Chris, and the rest of the Queer Zine Archive Project team as our special guests for Queer History Month! They’ll be joining us from the QZAP headquarters in Milwaukee to give us a look at some of the items in their collection and discuss the ways that folks use queer zines to teach queer history. QZAP was established in 2003 to preserve queer zines and make them available to other queers, researchers, historians, punks, and anyone else who has an interest in DIY publishing and underground queer communities.

    Please bring your favorite queer zines from your own collections to share, BYOS(nacks), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Queer History Month Edition with Special Guests QZAP at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday, October 20! (Yes, we’re meeting on a Thursday evening this month.)

    ** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Wednesday, October 19 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT Thursday, October 20.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event is here. You can find out more about QZAP at qzap.org.

    Image description #1: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a set of file cabinets at the QZAP headquarters, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Queer History Month Edition with Special Guests Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP); Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CST Thursday, October 20, 2022”

    Image description #2: A collage of text mixed in with stickers from Zine Club Chicago, Quimby’s, and QZAP, with an old QZAP postcard that says “They Made History, We Archive It” with pictures of Marsha P. Johnson, GB Jones and Bruce LaBruce, Jayne County, Bayard Rustin, and Nomi Lamm (top row) and Mike Bullshit, Larry-bob Roberts and Matt Wobensmith, Deep Dickollective, Tom Jennings, and Vaginal Davis (bottom row)

  • A Night with Acid Nun: Corinne Halbert in Conversation With Caroline Cash

    We are proud to welcome back Quimby’s alum Corinne Halbert in celebration of her graphic novel Acid Nun! She is joined by another Quimby’s alum, Caroline Cash, as they talk about all things that may or may not include: cartooning, art, Quimby’s behind-the-scenes and other inspiration dragged up from the depths. It is only befitting with Quimby’s celebrating 31 years in September that our first in-person event since 2020 will feature 2 former employees in the very month of our anniversary.

    Corinne Halbert in Conversation with Caroline Cash
    7-9 p.m. CT Friday, September 30
    at Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. Chicago IL 6622
    Free!

    Masks required for entry. This event marks Quimby’s first in-person event in the store since 2020, as we tentatively experiment with what it is like to having events somewhere other than online! Will we go back to doing more in-store events? Stay tuned!

    About Acid Nun by Corinne Halbert:

    A bad trip leads Annie, our earnest heroine, through a journey of suffering and self-discovery. Caught within the confines of her own mind, Annie struggles against the doubled weight of trauma and despair. In order to crawl her way out, she must grapple with the cruelest parts of her psyche, and make peace with her inner child and suppressed past. Annie argues with her demons and punches her way toward the light, with a little help from her dedicated and loving friends. Lushly illustrated with influences from spiritual iconography and psychedelic imagery, Halbert crafts an unflinching yet compassionate story about pain, rage, and the blessings we can give ourselves. CW: 18+ only. This book deals with trauma, sexual and physical violence, mental health, drugs, and other sensitive subjects. Preorder the book from Quimby’s here.

    “Halbert’s art and writing throb with uninhibited scenes of sex and gore, crude but portrayed with wit. Each chapter concludes with her frank confessions about processing her own childhood trauma through creating these comics. Her openhearted emotional arc combined with such shock-erotic visceral imagery make for an entertaining and unexpectedly moving experience for gore-horror fans.” -Publishers Weekly

    128 full-color pages; ISBN 978-1-945509-95-7, published by Silver Sprocket

    About Girl In the World by Caroline Cash:

    What’s everyone doing later? Some creatively named Facebook events? This book is about how a particularly chaotic 24 hours impacts a group of girls, and what they each get up to over the course of the night. Order this book from Quimby’s here.

    “Girl in the World is drenched in equal parts love and despair, is softly satirical, and is just a lot of fun to look at. We predict Caroline Cash’s star is rising, make sure to grab onto its belching rainbow tail as it passes by and pick up this book if you want to see what the fuss is about.” -Broken Frontier

    64 full-color pages, ISBN: 978-1-945509-36-0, published by Silver Sprocket

    Corinne Halbert is a Chicago horror artist with an extensive book collection. Her work is heavily influenced by an avid obsession with 1970s cult films and vintage comics. Find her on the web at corinnehalbert.com.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Acid Nun (@corinnehalbert)

    Caroline Cash can be found on IG at cash_browns. Her comic Pee Pee Poo Poo is nominated for two 2022 Ignatz Awards.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Quimbys Bookstore (@quimbysbookstore)

    Facebook Event Link here.

  • Zine Club Chicago Online: The Great Outdoors Edition, July 19th!

    Zine Club Chicago Online: The Great Outdoors Edition
    7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 19 on Zoom
    Free!

    This month, Zine Club Chicago is celebrating summer with an expansive view of zines about the great outdoors! We want to hear all about your fave titles focused on the natural world, al fresco explorations, camping experiences, flâneur adventures, gardening and growing, and more.

    Grab your favorite zines about life en plein air, BYOS(nacks), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: The Great Outdoors Edition at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, July 19!

    In July, Zine Club Chicago also will be teaming up with Zine Party to host an in-person outdoor meetup called Zine Camp! If you’d like to trade zines and eat s’mores with your fellow zine enthusiasts in Chicago on Sunday, July 17, check out all the details at https://zine.camp/

    ** RSVP required ** To help make sure that online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, the Zoom link won’t be released publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday, July 18 (the evening before our event). You’ll receive the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, July 19.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event is here.

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a tent that is lit from within, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: The Great Outdoors Edition; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, July 19”

  • Zine Club Chicago Online: Food Zines Edition, June 21st!

    Zine Club Chicago Online: Food Zines Edition
    7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, June 21 on Zoom
    Free! 

    This month, Zine Club Chicago will be serving up a theme that many of you have requested: Zines about food! Y’all are cordially invited to share samples of your fave titles featuring recipes, reviews, and deep-dish dives into all things edible. We’ll also be announcing a call for submissions to the Zine Club Chicago snack zine!

    Grab your favorite zines about noshes, BYOS(nacks), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Food Zines Edition at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, June 21! 

    ** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday, June 20 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, June 21.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    Facebook event is here.

    More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with images of a vintage-style food buffet, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Food Zines Edition Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com 7:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, June 21”