Jason's Books & Coffee serves literary folks. We buy, sell, and trade used books; sell great new small-press books and lit journals; curate wonderful new self-published works; and offer a gathering space for readers and writers.
Our team welcomes you:
- Proprietor, Jason Gillikin
- Office Administrator, Cade Grimm
- Editorial Intern, Patrick Bertone-Haywood
- LGC Partner (retail support), Allison Hawkins
- Assistant "Man"ager, Theon d'Cat
Don't miss our coffee, tea, and assorted snacks to power your literary adventures!
The Bookstore
Looking for the latest bestseller? Bad news — we don't carry it. Plenty of bookstores in the area, both indie and chain, are desperate to sell you the high-performing titles that everyone already knows about. Rather, our collection veers so far off the beaten path that you should keep a sharp eye peeled for wild carnivores.
(In fairness, Theon the Office Cat is allegedly a carnivore, although he leans pescatarian. And he does become a little bit wild when you play the string game with him.)
We focus our collection on four areas:
- Used Books — Our assortment of used books are available to buy or trade. We purchase used books, as well. Net proceeds from the sale of used books support the Lakeshore Literary Foundation.
- Small-Press Books — We carry selected titles from very small presses. The super-small presses often publish works of breathtaking beauty that never see a single bricks-and-mortar retail shelf. We aim to change that. However, because we order from Ingram Content Group, we can generally special-order almost any published title for you even if we don't carry it, so please, let us help you avoid shuffling your shekels to Amazon.
- Literary Journals — Yes, Barnes & Noble carries the big guns. We aspire to carry the medium- and small-caliber journals that amaze and delight in relative obscurity. Our goal is to build the largest and most diverse collection of literary journals in the Upper Midwest.
- Self-Published Author Books — We all have endured a version of Great Aunt Ethel's self-published 1,000-page historical supernatural romance saga. But you know what? Some self-published stuff (including material from single-author presses) really is a delight. We highly curate this material, so what we carry is worth reading despite that you may never see it shelved elsewhere.
Coffee, Tea & Snacks
We want people to sit a spell and enjoy time with books — reading them, writing them, or editing them. To support this endeavor, we offer at amazingly low prices the finest assortment of Keurig pods that money can buy. Plus a delightful collection of teas, from delicate greens to "Tea, Earl Grey, hot." And did we mention the espresso machine and its delicious output of lattes?
Check out the menu for a run-down. Plus, you're always welcome to bring your own food and (non-alcoholic) drinks.
A Community Space for Readers & Writers
We welcome writers' groups, book clubs, and folks assembled in the pursuit of literary greatness. We offer great Wi-Fi and tables are positioned for easy access to electricity.
- Anyone's welcome to plop down at our high-top cafe tables. No purchase or advance notice necessary.
- Long-term hangouts aren't a problem, either. We'll fetch you a high-quality folding table and a more comfortable padded chair. Again, no cost or notice requirements. Our selection of free-to-use board and card games will help you pass the time, too. Many of our games are ideal for writers!
- Want to host a big event, like a book-launch party or a literary salon? We offer seating for up to 80, supported by 16 6-foot tables. Major events are subject to availability (including outside of our normal operating hours) and pricing is dependent on the details of the event.