By EMMA LAUS
Students returning to campus this fall may be surprised to see a new business in downtown Beloit. The Rogue Bookshop, an independent new and used bookstore, opened its doors this summer, providing a diverse selection of books and little gifts.
Jamie Anderson, the owner of The Rogue Bookshop, has a wide-ranging work background under her belt. “My experience is all across the board,” she says. Having worked as a real estate agent, a legal assistant, and a home help aid, as well as in the publishing industry, she found her favorite experience to be managing a bookstore in Madison, where she lives. “I really enjoyed that I got to help build this community of book lovers who were like-minded and also challenged each other and brought different things to the table,” she says. “When people come into a store and want to talk about their experiences with a book, that is such a community building thing and I wanted to bring that to a place that didn’t have it.”
When searching for a location to open her bookstore, she found herself charmed by Beloit, saying, “I kept coming back and felt like there was something here.” She hopes to integrate the store into the community by working with the college and school district, as well as hosting author talks and writers’ salons. “I want [Beloit students] to know that … we’re a really inclusive space. If you need to get off campus you can come and just walk around, I want you to feel comfortable here,” Anderson says. “Also, if we don’t have what you’re looking for in the store here, you can order with us. Special orders are really easy on our website or in the store, so I want people to know how accessible we are.”
The store sells a broad variety of genres: nonfiction, children’s books, local authors, literary fiction, fantasy, and more. Currently, their used book collection is selective; “They’re in like-new condition and are bestsellers within the last ten years,” says Anderson.
Looking ahead, The Rogue Bookshop will be celebrating banned book week from Oct. 5-11 with a 10% off sale on all banned books in the store. “We believe no books should be banned and so I’m really excited to get more of those titles out in the world and more people reading them,” says Anderson. They have also hosted two all-level yoga events, and hope to do more similar events in the future.
The store is open every day except Mondays, and more information can be found on their website, theroguebookshop.com. P.S I bought a used copy of Kitchen Confidential and I’m super excited.
Featured image: Emma Laus’27
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