About Us

Our Company Mission Statement

To provide higher educational institutions and communities the superior service they deserve and the learning materials they need.

Beck’s Book Store, Inc. is a privately owned textbook enterprise that services higher learning communities throughout the greater Chicago land area. The services we provide high schools, colleges and universities are tailored to the uniqueness of each community. Our passion to serve comes from knowing the noble goals and purposes of the institutions and people we partner with. Our mission is to help each institution reach its pinnacle and meet their creative and academic goals through providing superior service to faculty, students and staff. We believe that superior college bookstore service emerges when excellent relationships, timely provision of materials, and fair prices harmonize. Bringing these core objectives together is what we strive to do for our partners and customers every day.

A Brief History of Our Company

In 1945, after a time in the armed forces, Robert Beck returned home and went to work at a Chicagoland bookstore, Faulkner’s Educational Books. It wasn’t too long before his quick wits and charisma made way for him to enter the higher levels of the small business. Mr. Beck eventually realized that if he was to go any further in the bookstore industry he would have to open his own store. After ten years of work at Faulkner’s, Mr. Beck took a courageous step and opened his own textbook store at 22 East Chicago Avenue.

“Beck’s Book Store” was a success. After six years of business, he established another location that served Northeastern Illinois University. Not too long after that a third off-campus store was opened in 1966 at 6501 N. Sheridan Road to serve the Loyola University community.

Beck’s Book Store became famous throughout the college bookstore community for its superior customer service. As the good word about Beck’s continued to spread, other local colleges began to notice. In 1977, Harry S. Truman College asked Mr. Beck to open another store. Mr. Beck agreed and shortly afterward the fourth Beck’s Book Store was up and running at 1120 W. Wilson Ave. A few years later,  Mr. Beck opened a fifth location to serve the Harold Washington students and staff.

The 1980’s brought great favor to Beck’s Book Stores. The five Beck’s locations continued to grow and in 1988 Northeastern Illinois University asked Mr. Beck to take over the on-campus university bookstore operations. Mr. Beck agreed and within one year Loyola University of Chicago asked Mr. Beck the same question.

The last decade has bore witness to three new Beck’s locations. In the late 90’s, Beck’s went outside Chicago’s city limits for the first time and pioneered an off-campus bookstore at the College of Dupage. Beck’s Book Store now serves the C.O.D. community at 481 Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn. In 2002, Beck’s added another on-campus location at the John Marshall Law School in downtown Chicago.  And most recently, in May of 2005, Beck’s continued its Chicagoland expansion venturing into Big Ten Country with a store serving the Wildcats of Northwestern University.  The junior member of the Beck’s family can be found at 716 Clark Street in downtown Evanston.

Altogether, Beck’s has now grown to encompass four on-campus bookstores, four-off campus competing bookstores and one online e-commerce bookstore.