Rockford bookstore starting a new chapter at new downtown location this fall

Dave Pedersen, owner of Maze Books, has turned the page from 117 S. Third St. and is starting a new chapter for his bookstore at 406 E. State St.

"This is the place you want to be for a bookstore," he said. "You're in between two coffee shops (Wired Cafe and Inzombia Coffee) and on the main drag for Stroll on State."

Dave first opened Maze Books on June 17, 2022, hoping to help fill what he described as a literary void.

"The other space was great, and we made it work," he said. "But this space has a lot of the features that people look for in a bookstore — hardwood floors, tall ceilings for bookshelves. I don't know if the space is bigger, but there is definitely more usable space."

Space is exactly what Pedersen needs for his growing collection of over 10,000 mostly used books.

More: ‘Every downtown needs a bookstore’: Rockford man fills literary void

The East State Street location, which also features lofted space and a rear patio, was previously occupied by GEM (Gather-Engage-Make), an art print shop owned by Rockford artist Sarah Reed-McNamara. Earlier this year, McNamara moved her business to 330 E. State St. and renamed her business SRM Prints.

Meanwhile, Pedersen has been busy stencil painting gold stars on his dark blue ceiling before he starts building bookcases.

"A star ceiling is something I've always wanted to do," he said. "If you look at Grand Central Station, they have what's called a Zodiac ceiling, which has been there forever. So, we're trying to give it a nice Victorian feel."

The new space also will allow Pedersen to better accommodate events such as book signings. At his previous location, it was not unusual for overflow crowds to spill into two different rooms each with monitors so customers could hear and see a lecturer or a poetry reading.

"This place is all open," he said. "So, that takes care of that. So, we'll definitely have more live events here."

Pedersen hopes to reopen Maze Books by Oct. 6, the start of the two-day Fall Art Scene, a biannual gallery walk hosted by the Rockford Area Arts Council, featuring new and established artists in the Rockford region.

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Maze Books to reopen at new location on Rockford's East State Street