Inside The Sly Fox
A Word From The Owner:
When The Sly Fox first opened, I didn't know how long it would be here, but this year we celebrated the 21st anniversary of this Illinois bookstore here in Virden.
This store previously housed the Smith Hat and Dress Shop from 1922 to 1991. For many years, the dress shop sold specialty dish cloths as a fundraiser for the Sunday School class at the First Presbyterian Church and The Sly Fox resumed selling them until the textile mill closed. My great aunt opened a millinery store in this building in 1922 as well. The store faced Illinois Route 4, which from 192 to 1930 was also designated as U.S. Route 66.
Virden's Local Kids Bookstore
The Sly Fox initially opened for business in July of 1998 when we recorded our first sale of $11.50. We were initially recognized as a kids bookstore and also sold mysteries. In the early days, we were only open on evenings and Saturdays.
I have since retired, and am now able to remain open during the day and run the kids bookstore entirely on my own.
Your Independent Illinois Bookstore
The Sly Fox has sold books at the Conference on Illinois History for several years, at summer retreats for the Illinois chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and at the annual conference of the Illinois Library Association.
As a proud Illinois bookstore, we've hosted several local authors and book signing events at the store over the years. The Sly Fox has also supplied books to the local schools, the Grand Prarie of the West Library, and the Alpha Tau chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society for distribution through the local WIC program.
