Continuing a local trend that flies in the face of conventional wisdom about physical media, a new bookstore specializing in literary fiction, contemporary nonfiction, poetry and graphic novels will hold its grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.. Three Ducks Bookstore is located at 414 E. Monroe St. in downtown Springfield, and owner Drew Kodrich is optimistic about its potential place in Springfield’s cultural matrix.
Kodrich is an active member of the Springfield creative community. He was formerly a co-owner of all-ages music space Black Sheep Cafe and in addition to being a member of hardcore band Prevention, he is a tireless organizer and promoter of concerts by regional and touring hardcore bands held at Dumb Records (directly across the alley from Three Ducks).
“Out on tour with Prevention, I have gotten fond of going to bookstores in the towns we visit,” Kodrich said. “I think Springfield’s been historically lacking in a cool, independent bookstore where you could buy new books in town.”
He acknowledged that the local landscape is changing with the recent opening of Elderberry & Plum on Seventh Street and the planned opening of Kindness & Co. later this year in the former Fifth Street Flower Shop space.
“When I was initially dreaming this up, I thought it would be cool to have something where people can come and buy new stuff that’s a little bit more catered than Barnes & Noble can provide and a little bit more literary-leaning,” he said. “And I guess I thought I could do that, probably. And here we are.”
The process of securing the space for the store and getting things ready for opening has been less painful than Kodrich had initially anticipated.
“It has been a pain, but it hasn’t been as bad as I thought. It’s possible I just don’t know what I’m doing to the point that I don’t understand that I’m missing key things,” he said. “Or maybe it’s not as bad as one might think to open a store.”
Stocking Three Ducks has been its own evolving adventure, with Kodrich finding himself ordering from a mix of large corporate companies and smaller distributors.
“The small press guys are super easy to work with,” Kodrich said. “The bigger ones, they’re not so bad. I’ve been avoiding the ones that want you to order, like, a million books in order to work with you. They’re giant, faceless corporations who don’t really care, right? And that, in this instance, works to my benefit because I can fall through the cracks a little bit.”
As for the kinds of books customers can expect to find in Three Ducks, Kodrich said it’s been a balancing act between stocking harder-to-find, niche titles and things with broader appeal.
“I feel like I have a pretty good range of stuff. I’m trying hit a balance where mostly I’m stocking new, contemporary books – some weird stuff and also intellectual-leaning academic literature along with a decent amount of classic novels and graphic novels,” he said.
In addition to being a place where locals can find books that might not be so easy to locate elsewhere, Kodrich hopes Three Ducks can offer a space for community connection.
“I’m interested in having a place for people to congregate, and I want to have a decent number of small events here, like book clubs and that kind of stuff,” he said.
As a longstanding participant in the local DIY and punk scenes, Kodrich is used to being part of a tight-knit, sometimes insular group.
“Part if the reason why we do all that stuff is the social element behind it,” he said “I’m looking forward to hopefully cultivating a tone here of ‘We go to the Three Ducks and we hang out and talk to people and we know the guy there.’ But I’m excited for it to be more front-facing than the punk stuff has always been. That style of music and scene is only appealing to a certain number of people, where I feel like books have a broader appeal.”
Scott Faingold is a journalist, educator and musician. He has been director of student media at University of Illinois Springfield, founding editor of Activator magazine, a staff reporter for Illinois Times and co-host of Old School Bleep, a music-centered podcast. He can be reached at scottfaingold@gmail.com.