Meet Rebecca George from Volumes Bookcafe in Chicago

Where do you work and how long have you been there?
Volumes Bookcafe in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood

Well, I've been here long before we opened. Volumes is me. I am Volumes. 
 
Where might we be surprised that you have also worked?
SO MANY. In my youth I worked a number of jobs at a golf course. I've also worked retail at Woodfield Mall in the 90s (which, for anyone who remembers those days, knows what chaos that was). I've been a dog walker on the side. A life guard. A Lit agent intern. A college professor. A high school teacher. I've had a lot of jobs. This makes me sound old. 

What do you like to read? What's your current favorite book to handsell?
I'm kind of all over the place. I just like reading. I do gravitate towards the weird - and I have a bizarre obsession with any and all books that touch on time - Fiction and Non-Fiction. 

Right now I really enjoy handselling Geek Love. It's an old favorite. We made it our book of the month - I hope it surprises and delights people in the way that book did for me. It took my breath away. 

Who are you when you're not in the store?
I am Volumes. Volumes is me. Jk. I am here every day so I don't get a lot of free time to just be me. 

I'm a big baseball fan, so I am excited for the new season. I'm also a crafter. I can't sit still at home, so if I am not working, I am making bags or book origami or I'm painting. I do a lot of weird stuff. Now I get to channel that into window displays and such for the store, so it loops back 

What's your favorite bookstore other than the one you work in?
Prairie Lights is a favorite. I did my undergraduate degree at u Iowa and I used to make Prairie Lights a reward for myself. If I did ok on a test, I could go and wander and buy one book. It usually meant I'd buy five, but I have a lot of fond memories from that store. Boulder Bookstore was my graduate school bookstore, and I spent many an hour in there.

Volumes Bookcafe
1474 N Milwaukee Ave,
Chicago, IL 60622
volumesbooks.com
IG @volumesbooks
Twitter @volumesbooks