Centuries & Sleuths Celebrates 20 Years

Centuries & Sleuths, a bookstore in Forest Park, Illinois, specializing in history, mystery, and biography, is celebrating its 20th anniversary by hosting in-store author panels throughout the month of September. Panels this past Saturday and Sunday featured 20 local authors who have had a part in the store's history.

“We had such a huge attendance,” said store owner, Augie Aleksy. “It all just fell into place.”

Aleksy opened the niche store in 1990 after noticing a trend in his local library. History, mystery, and biography were the genres that were most checked out. He investigated further by sending out a four-page consumer survey in Oak Park, where his store was first located.

“I definitely didn't want to be a general bookstore,” said Aleksy, who, with master's degrees in both history and finance, admits to having eclectic interests. “And this is what I had an interest in.” Luckily, the results of the survey showed that his interests were shared by many.

Upon opening his store, Aleksy dreamed of including in-store performances, including a “Meeting of the Minds,” where actors portraying historical figures would be interviewed in front of an audience.

“I had all these ideas and it’s neat to look back on it to see how much of it became a reality,” said Aleksy, who regularly holds Meetings of the Mind, author panels, and various writers' groups.

He is continually impressed by his volunteers who take their roles seriously. Aleksy remembers when the store held a trial for Richard III regarding the suspicious disappearance of his two nephews in 1483. A devoted customer and federal judge volunteered to participate, and entered the store wearing his official robes; gavel in hand.

“It was a huge hit, and the store was packed,” he said. “When you get into costumes, you do things you probably wouldn't normally.”

The local authors that came together last weekend discussed important issues within the entire industry, including the popularization of e-books and marketing to young people.

Aleksy recalls the first time he was introduced to a history book as a child during “the Sputnik generation,” he said. He uses that memory to remain optimistic about the future of books. “People were flooding kids with science books at the time, and this book was different. It became entertaining. So it's all about finding out what kids are interested in.”

Aleksy chose not to have a moderator present at the panels, volunteering to step in if necessary. “I wanted them to talk it out themselves,” he said, and it went exactly how I wanted it to go.”

To his delight, many customers left for the lunch break between panels and returned for the next one.

“It was a great way to introduce them to new authors,” he said. “The store has just been a huge success. Both financially, and in the spirit of what I always wanted to do.”