Those close to a local children’s bookstore co-founder known for her warmth and imaginative window displays say her spirit lives on in the store.
Rose Joseph, 73, died Feb. 11 after a long battle with cancer, said her son, Aaron Joseph of Oak Park. A memorial was held for the former Magic Tree bookstore co-owner Feb. 17 at Cheney Mansion; there were more attendees than there were chairs, noted Iris Yipp, who founded the store with Joseph.
Beth Albrecht, who bought Magic Tree from Joseph and Yipp in 2015, called Joseph gracious, generous and creative.
“Rose was amazing. I can’t say enough good things about her,” Albrecht said. “I’m just trying to keep, to tend this beautiful thing they created.”
The shop opened in 1984. Yipp, Joseph’s neighbor, said they wanted to open a neighborhood place and decided on a bookstore. Joseph — whose husband, Bertram, was from Trinidad — and her neighbors felt a diverse community like Oak Park needed a multicultural book shop, said Aaron Joseph, the second of Joseph’s four children.
It was first located at Madison Street and Cuyler Avenue, near Joseph and Yipp’s block. About five years later, the shop moved to its Oak Park Avenue location.
“She really had an eye for the opportunity,” Aaron Joseph said. A multicultural children’s bookstore “was something that was not represented in the market when we were kids, in the ’70s and ’80s.”
Aaron Joseph said his mother — a Canadian immigrant, entrepreneur, and a single, working mom — is an inspiration to a lot of people.
“She was an interesting woman, because in many ways, she was a revolutionary … but she had none of the aggressive personality that sometimes accompanies that,” Albrecht said.
Prior to opening the shop, Joseph worked in customer service for TWA airlines, which allowed the family to travel around the world, Aaron Joseph said.
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Joseph, who had an art degree and a design background, was known for her creative and elaborate window displays. She created the logo for the shop, modeled after two of her children sitting under a tree.
“She’d get a vision, and she’d follow it through,” Yipp said.
Aaron Joseph said she put the same care and artistic design into her children’s Halloween costumes. Joseph and Yipp were early fans of J.K. Rowling, and the shop was known for its trendsetting Harry Potter release parties, among other special events, some of which brought thousands of people to the store and closed Oak Park Avenue, Yipp said.
“We kind of created this wonderful space where families could come,” Yipp said. “It was sort of more than a store.”
Aaron Joseph admired his mother’s quiet brilliance, as well as her determination and strength. Joseph died on the 27th anniversary of her husband’s death.
“She told us that’s when she was going to die,” Aaron Joseph said. “It says a tremendous amount about her will and spirit.”
Aaron Joseph said his mother felt it was time to let go of the shop when she and Yipp sold the business to Albrecht, largely because Joseph had been battling cancer and was ready to move on.
“To see the store persevere for 30 years, that speaks to its position as a neighborhood staple and a community hub,” Aaron Joseph said. “She felt like they had the right person in Beth.”
Albrecht credited Joseph and Yipp with having “big, welcoming personalities,” which made the business stand out over the years. The shop has “encompassed a lot of the morality that Oak Park encompasses,” Albrecht added.
“She touched so many lives: children and whole families,” said Albrecht, whose own children grew up visiting the book shop. “I hope I’m half as good at this as she was. … Her creative spirit lives on in the store.”
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.