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Rebecca George likes to think that she is part of her customers’ stories.

There have been two weddings and almost 20 engagements at Volumes Bookcafe, the bookstore she owns in Wicker Park. Debut authors launched successful careers. Just a couple of months ago, she said, a baby took his first steps in between the bookshelves and now he’s “cruising around like he owns the place.”

It’s these memories George said she’ll miss the most when Volumes closes in January. It was a decision she and her sister, a co-owner, were forced to make due to a consistent 20% to 30% drop in sales, a death knell for independent bookstores, which typically operate with tight profit margins .

“Bringing books to the world is important,” George said. “All the chi

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