If you have trouble deciding on a book to read, “matchmaker” Mandy Genge can probably help. Through New Book Joy, a “booktique” on Prairie Avenue in Brookfield, Genge connects readers from all over the area with their next read.
“I call it ‘book matchmaking,'” Genge said, describing how she recommends books to customers. After asking them about their taste in reads, she pulls out a selection of books, allowing customers to read through them in-store to see “if anything grabs them.”
New Book Joy’s Brookfield location officially moved to its brick-and-mortar storefront in May, after starting as part of the Brookfield Shops’ first retail incubation cohort. Genge is the sole operator of the Brookfield location, while co-owners Connie Obrochta and Therese Tanski run the Edgebrook location on the Northwest Side.
Genge, who has taught English at Morton East for two decades, said she uses her background in education to encourage “empowerment through books and conversations through books.”
In addition to books in all sorts of genres, Genge stocks plenty of children’s books. She said she is “really intentional” about stocking books for all sorts of developmental periods and potential topics.
The shop’s collection is extensively curated; Genge said she has read around 80% of the books she stocks, which makes the matchmaking process so specific. Shop employee Kat Hennington, who started working at New Book Joy in August, described it as one of Genge’s “absolute favorite things to do.”
Hennington described when she came into the store around Christmastime, to get a gift for a Secret Santa who was interested in business and historical fiction. Genge’s recommendation, Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green, was “right on point,” Hennington said.
Karen Judge, a teacher at Morton West, often stops by the shop while walking her dog. Last Wednesday, she dropped by for the bookstore’s “Back to School” event, where community members could browse the selection, chat, and enjoy drinks.
“There’s so much fun stuff here,” Judge said, joking the store is “more dangerous now, because they just got a liquor license and they’re doing a happy hour sit and read.”
Genge hosts such events regularly, including book clubs, book swaps, and book slams, where people recommend books to one another. Genge said she hopes to attract readers of all ages and backgrounds through her community events.
“I met people through them [the events] who are now my friends,” Judge said. “So read a book, come on in.”
