HGTV Host in Town for Salt Creek Ballet Benefit Tonight

The Kohler Store and Barbara's Bookstore are teaming up for the event, where Monica Pedersen will be signing her new book.

HGTV host Monica Pedersen will join efforts with two Burr Ridge businesses to raise funds for what is being called "a dying art." Barbara's Bookstore and the Kohler Store in the Village Center will host a benefit tonight for the Salt Creek Ballet, which has studios in Hinsdale and Westmont. The benefit starts at 6 p.m. and will run until 8 p.m. Students of Salt Creek Ballet will perform a five-minute excerpt from its spring performance during the benefit at the Kohler Store. At the same time, Pedersen will be autographing her new book, which hit store shelves in May, at Barbara's Bookstore. Pedersen is a TV host and former model, who regular appears on the Today Show and Live! with Kelly (formerly Live With Regis and Kelly.) Her book, Make…

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Barbara's Bookstore Receives a Visit from Tsoknyi Rinpoche

The Tibetan Buddhist mediation master's book on how to live a life free of fear, pain, insecurity and doubt was released in April.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche, a writer and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, recently visited Barbara's Bookstore at the Burr Ridge Village Center. When he first came here from Tibet, Tsoknyi Rinpoche observed many differences between his culture and that of the U.S. He said that in Tibet there is less development of the cognitive function. Although there is poverty and disorganization in the society, he said there is also a lot of joy. An example he described was that in his country a person might spend two hours looking for a spoon, yet they are enjoying themselves the whole time. In our culture, we know exactly which box holds the spoon, but we may still be stressed and unhappy. While he knows that his own culture could benefit from more development or …

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The Kohler Store and Barbara's Bookstore Team to Raise Money for Salt Creek Ballet

HGTV's Monica Pedersen will be signing autographed copies of her book at the fundraiser on June 21.

Two Burr Ridge businesses are teaming up to raise money for the Salt Creek Ballet, which has studios in Hinsdale and Westmont. The Kohler Store will host a benefit on June 21 in conjunction with a book signing by HGTV Host Monica Pedersen at Barbara's Bookstore. Pedersen is a TV host and former model, who regular appears on the Today Show and Live! with Kelly (formerly Live With Regis and Kelly.) Her book, Make It Beautiful hit store shelves last month. In it, she gives tips on party-planning for different occasions and budgets. Pedersen is a spokesperson for Kohler, and the daughter of a close friend of hers takes dance lessons at Salt Creek. "[Ballet] is one of those arts that's dying," said Melissa Curtis, manager of The Kohler Store in…

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Patch to Give Away $25 Barbara's Bookstore Gift Card

Anyone who puts their name and email address in our drop box at Barabara's Bookstore between now and June 17 will be signed up for Patch's free newsletter and be entered to win the card.

Love to read? Have we got a gift for you! Burr Ridge Patch has partnered with Barbara's Bookstore at 810 Village Center Drive for the latest gift-card giveaway at a local business in Burr Ridge. Anyone who in the next month drops a business card—or any other piece of paper complete with a name, valid email address, and mailing address—into the green Patch dropbox on the counter of Barbara's Bookstore will be signed up for Patch's free, daily email newsletter and entered to win a $25 gift card. It's a win-win situation for anyone who loves to read—free local news, plus a gift card for the latest hardcover or two paperbacks (maybe three if you're a thrifty shopper.) On June 17, Patch will draw a business card from the box at random and send …

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Barbara's Bookstore Claims Its Burr Ridge Patch Listing!

Barbara's Bookstore claimed its free directory listing this week.

We're happy to announce that Barbara's Bookstore has claimed its directory listing on Burr Ridge Patch. Barbara's Bookstore opened in Burr Ridge in September of 2010. What's the directory? When Burr Ridge Patch was created, each business in Burr Ridge at the time was automatically added to our directory by community listings coordinators. They spent hours visiting businesses, verifying addresses, snapping photos and taking notes about business hours and other info. By claiming its listing, the folks at Barbara's Bookstore can now respond to people who have reviewed its listing in our directory, upload its own photos and videos, provide additional information about specials and events, link to its own website and Facebook page via Patch and…

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Volunteers from Barbara's Bookstore Giving Out Free Books Today

Barbara's Bookstore in Burr Ridge is joining the national World Book Night effort to give away half a million books today.

Barbara's Bookstore is joining in a national effort to give away half a million books today. It's part of the first World Book Night U.S., a campaign to promote reading. Some volunteers will be picking up books at Barbara's Bookstore in the Village Center and then going out into the community to share them in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, ballparks, mass transit, diners, and various other locations. The World Book Night U.S. campaign  will give away a half million free, specially printed books in 6,000 towns and cities in the United States. Volunteers will personally give out free copies of a book they enjoy to new or light readers. One goal is to reach potential readers in underserved places "We at Barbara's Burr Ridge are proud to …

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Sabrina Wu

3:35 am on Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Thanks for your comment, Chris. My only guess would be that most of the books on the list appear to have been published fairly recently, but that's a good question.   more ›

Green Living

Making Father's Day a Green Experience

Explore Burr Ridge events and stores with your dad on his day.

Father’s Day is approaching next weekend. Here are some easy ways to make the holiday eco-friendly and enjoyable, in no particular order. - Go literary, by buying a gift from Barbara’s Bookstore , or taking your dad here, as part of a walk through the Burr Ridge Village Center. - Take the father figure in your life on a picnic, with fresh, local ingredients from the Burr Ridge Farmers Market, which runs on Thursdays starting June 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Use some of those food supplies to bake a cake for your dad for the holiday, instead of spending money on one that’s ready-made. - Go out for a nice meal—locally. Moondance Diner is close and easy. - Instead of buying flowers, purchase a fruit bouquet from Edible Arrangements online or…

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Save The Date: Upcoming Author Events

The Burr Ridge Park District, Indian Prairie Library and Barbara's Bookstore will host author events in 2011.

The new year brings with it new opportunities to enjoy books, authors and literary discussion. The Burr Ridge Park District, Indian Prairie Library and Barbara's Bookstore will offer events in which to take part. The Burr Ridge Park District is hosting a new Meet the Author series once a month on Tuesday evenings from January through April. Authors will present their works on Chicago-area topics including politics, bars, disasters and the paranormal. "We're trying to attract the people that don't normally use the park district," said Lavonne Campbell, superintendent of recreation at the Burr Ridge Park District. The park district will kick-off the four-author series with Mark M. Quinn, author of the historical fiction "The Chairman: A …

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Coffee Roasters Give Former Offenders A Second Chance

Barbara's Bookstore in Burr Ridge is offering free coffee from Second Chance Coffee Company - a business that hires some of those who have been behind bars.

In the back corner of Barbara's Bookstore sit two unassuming silver and black thermoses with two different types of complimentary coffee. One thermos is filled with Sumatra Mandheling Decaffeinated Organic Fair Trade coffee, which has a relatively light, colorful, smoky flavor. In the other is Java Pancoer Estate - it has a more bitter taste. The brand is I Have A Bean coffee and it is roasted and sold by Second Chance Coffee Company - a Wheaton-based business that employs former offenders. The company roasts only organic, fairly-traded coffee, which provides coffee farmers with fair wages. The roasters have an eco-friendly mindset and use electric power as opposed to burning gas. And the company does not burn their chaff - a roasting by-…

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Jessica Rosenberg

10:54 pm on Saturday, November 13, 2010

Ya I think it's great that Barbara's is using a local roaster - it really makes it a special experience. Thanks for stopping by!   more ›

From The Stacks

Tracking Pat Tillman in 'Where Men Win Glory'

Staff review of 'Where Men Win Glory' by John Krakauer. Courtesy of Barbara's Bookstore in Burr Ridge.

Where Men Win Glory, by John Krakauer Reviewed by Barbara's Bookstore staff An interesting element of this book is that it took me up close to what was happening on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan during the time Pat Tillman and his brother Robert served as soldiers. John Krakauer has attemped to portray the uniqueness of Pat Tillman, but it only made me wish I could've met him - which is unfortunately no longer possible. Tillman's determination to follow his own inner truth became part of what inspired his family to demand that the army and government tell them the truth about how he died. Where Men Win Glory demonstrates how often the army and government leaders are unworthy of the young men and women who come forward to risk …

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