Yellow Bird Books

Yellow Bird Books is the independent bookstore that downtown Aurora went without for years. Karen Nicholas, an educator who moved to the city in 2009, opened the shop in the Keystone Building at 34 S. Stolp Avenue after the space came open in 2022, a block from the Paramount Theatre. The shelves hold new fiction and nonfiction for adults and kids, with a lean toward the arts, science, history, science fiction and fantasy, and social issues, and the store carries literary gifts and pieces by local artists on consignment. The shop hosts events, joins the downtown First Fridays art walk and takes special orders in store or through Bookshop.org.

What to know

• The store is at 34 S. Stolp Avenue in the historic Keystone Building on Stolp Island.
• Founder and owner Karen Nicholas opened the shop after securing the space in 2022; the business is woman-owned.
• Stock is new books for all ages, plus literary merchandise and consigned work from local artists and makers.
• The shop takes part in downtown Aurora’s First Fridays and hosts author and artist events.
• Online orders go through the store’s Bookshop.org page and an in-store order form, and audiobooks are sold through a partner service.