Kara Thompson is the owner of Chicago Kids, Up North Kids, and Kreative Kids bookstores. She has a PhD in children's psychology and previously worked at the MacArthur Foundation, where she discovered a love of all things not-for-profit. She divides her time between Michigan and Illinois, her husband and her four children, and all four bookstores.
April is our store manager. She comes to us from a strong retail background in both the art and fashion worlds, and we're very happy to have her motivation and strong artistic skills on deck for us.
Becky teaches middle grade in a Chicago school, but we're lucky to have her expertise this summer. She is the host of our book clubs this summer, and is an irreplacable asset in keeping our shelves up to date and stocked with some very important books.
Julia can be found most days at our Clarendon Hills store, but you'll find her smiling face gracing our Southport store quite often, too. She has been around books and media for most of her working life: her experience ranges from music and libraries all the way to bookstores and radio stations.
Lindsay is the creator of Lindsay's Hearts, custom works of art for your child's room. She holds two degrees from Western Michigan State University, in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. She works on much of our graphic design and is the talented creator of many of the gift baskets you see around the store.
Rinska is one of the newest members of our staff. She has a deep interest in children and books, and comes to us from a local high school.
Yi Shun is a writer at heart and is working on her first middle-grade novel and a young adult novel. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and Women's Health, among other publications.