Our Space

Pearl Street Books is housed in the historic J. Burgermeister Building, built in 1885. Before 323 Pearl Street was a bookstore, Arenz Shoe Company was open in the space from 1903 to 1992.

Today, the floor to ceiling wooden shelves that previously housed boxes of shoes (as shown in this La Crosse Tribune photo) are instead used to hold books.

Our History

Originally founded as the Wees-Kon-San bookstore by Jim Auler in 1998, Pearl Street Books moved to 323 Pearl Street in 2000 and earned a new name.

Beth Hartung, who has worked at the store since 2017, purchased the business from Auler in September of 2021. She is dedicated to providing a space for the community to gather, and to offering the experience of ‘windows and mirrors’ through literature.