It began with a simple act of familial goodwill, when, in 2024, Alex John dropped by Renaissance Books’ storied location in Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. He wanted to say hello to his great-uncle and bookstore owner, Robert John, and to see if Great Uncle Bob could use some help sorting stacks and stacks of books.
The jumble of well-loved texts is part of the quaint appeal of this airport bookstore, which came to be when Robert won a bid in 1979 to bring a second Renaissance store – and tens of thousands of used books – to the main terminal. The original location, co-founded by Robert’s brother George, opened Downtown before eventually moving to Southridge Mall, where it is still in operation today.
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A used bookstore is a bit of an anomaly in an airport, but Robert, 79, made it a success. Located just outside security, the store’s open to anyone with or without a flight. (It validates parking up to two hours, too.)
The day that Alex visited, he saw that the store was in serious need of some decluttering, even when you factor in its “clutter charm.” So he got to work organizing and moving boxes to pay back his Great Uncle Bob for fond childhood memories and paper bags filled with books.
By the end of the year, Alex had assumed ownership of Renaissance Books’ airport location. “I just fell in love with the place, honestly. It’s active. It’s bright. There’s good energy in the airport,” says Alex, who left a 10-year career in finance to run Renaissance. “Customers are nice. Half of them have been coming there forever, and half of them are surprised the place exists.”
However, “the store was not modernized,” Alex says with a laugh, noting that for the longest time Renaissance Books was a cash business. He introduced Square’s point-of-sale system to manage inventory and sales. He’s brought a wider – but still curated – selection of new books and “bookish” gifts and accessories. And he’s opening a children’s book area in the store called the Little Reader’s Lounge.
Despite making a few updates, Alex intends to keep much of the airport bookstore – and its charming blend of modern and antiquarian features – the same. “If you only have a couple of minutes and want to drop into a small, local business to buy the newest bestseller, we probably have that,” Alex says. “And if you want to browse a wall of 11-foot-tall bookcases crammed with esoteric books on U.S. history? Well, we have that, too. I legitimately don’t know most of the books that are here.”
And Great Uncle Bob isn’t out of the picture; he still owns the Southridge location and now sells books to stock the shelves at his great-nephew’s airport spot.
“When the store transitioned to me, he didn’t have to be at the store anymore,” Alex says. “He could just drive around and buy books. … I joke that he lives for it.”
1959: George John and Erwin Just open Renaissance Books Downtown.
1960-70s: Robert John, George’s brother, joins the business and eventually assumes sole ownership. The store moves to its packed Plankinton Avenue location.
1979: Renaissance Books debuts its second location, in Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
2011-12: The city condemns the Plankinton building, and Renaissance relocates to The Shops of Grand Avenue.
2018: The Avenue bookstore moves to Southridge Mall in Greendale. Robert still owns this location.
2024: Robert’s great-nephew Alex takes ownership of the airport location.
