I’ve done my fair share of complaining about DeKalb, believe me.

I’m from Palos Park, a suburb about 30 minutes southwest of Chicago, and as dumb high school kids, my friends and I lamented our insufferably boring hometown, and we made haughty treks into The City, looking, I’m sure, like complete tourists.

It’s taken me awhile to figure out what it was about our cozy little suburb that so unsettled me. It’s a safe place, full of young, middle-class families. There are parks and swimming pools and sidewalks. But, oddly, moving to DeKalb was what made me see the problem with Palos & it has become, over the years, little more than one big mall.

In fact, the 64-mile drive from Palos Park to DeKalb is blemished with at least seven or eight slightly altered versions of my stomping grounds. My theory: Everywhere I go is turning into Naperville.

There are probably people who don’t think that’s so terrible & Naperville is a veritable mecca for shoppers. It’s got its various globule strip stores, its central mall, an Old Navy, a Bed, Bath & Beyond, a Target and also the standard mall restaurants. It’s easily accessible from Interstate 88, and everyone can find some store to funnel cash into. What else does a person need, right?

Except … if there’s anything in the world that’s generic, lacking any semblance of personality or flair, it’s a mall — and, by turn, towns containing malls tend to lose, over time, all of their individuality. People living in mall towns are less like residents and more like target markets. Chain stores eat away at small, family-owned shops like parasites. This isn’t new information, of course, and most people say they would support small business, but when faced with cheaper mall prices, most can’t resist.

Which leads me to DeKalb. There are currently two projects in the works for the city & the Northland Plaza development and a development at Barber Greene and Sycamore roads. This could be a much-needed boost for DeKalb. I hate seeing the array of abandoned storefronts in town as much as anyone else, and it seems we’re constantly adding more. So, really, these strip malls can do no harm, right?

Well, not exactly. As much as I support more options for DeKalb shoppers, I also think it’s vital that the town supports its existing businesses. See, the Northland Plaza development has promised, as one of its anchor stores, a Borders Books and Music. Personally, I love Borders & I’ve spent time in the two-level, megalithic superstore in my hometown, contently sipping overpriced cappuccino. But we mustn’t overlook DeKalb’s very own Junction Bookstore.

The Junction Bookstore, 822 W. Lincoln Highway, is a flourishing gem amid the ruins. It was recently remodeled and expanded, and a cafe was added. It’s got a warm, inviting environment, and the employees are friendly and helpful. The store hosts poetry readings, book signings and other special events. I mean, come on, the place has a railroad track running underneath the wooden floors through the middle & you can walk on it. How can Borders compete with that?

Most importantly, though, the Junction Bookstore has pulled up a fertile little piece of DeKalb soil, and it’s thriving. And I’m worried that the store is doomed. In my hometown, I watched several small bookstores disappear after a Borders (shortly followed by a Barnes and Noble) swooped down and stole the fire. I suppose there’s no way we can avoid being the target market & we’ll be gulping down overpriced cappuccino no matter where we go. But the Junction Bookstore depends on DeKalb & the residents of this town have a direct relationship with it. If the Borders they’re building here fails, it will be of little consequence. They’ll just build another store elsewhere, scarring DeKalb with yet another empty storefront. The Junction depends on our business for survival.

Borders is coming & we can’t do anything about that. What we can do is keep the Junction Bookstore on track & literally.