Bookends & Beginnings’ store expansion now open for business Despite the challenges the pandemic has brought on, Bookends & Beginnings – which recently expanded – continues to thrive. When CouCou & Olive, which was adjacent to Bookends & Beginnings, closed, bookstore owner Nina Barrett (Medill ‘87) jumped at the chance to expand and grow the store. She said she saw the storefront’s large window on Sherman Avenue will increase business visibility. “We never could take advantage of all the foot traffic that comes from the restaurants, the football games, the reunions or the parent-child drop-offs because the store is located in an alley and not directly visible on the street,” Barrett said.