If there is one place that Western Illinois University-Quad Cities (WIU-QC) students love to hang out off campus, it’s The Atlas Collective. Atlas is a bookstore and café that sits on a corner in the heart of downtown Moline, just a five-minute drive from the WIU-QC Campus. It is one of the only bookstores on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, with most operating across the river in Davenport. Not only is The Atlas Collective a calm and welcoming space for customers and students to sit and sip coffee while reading a book or getting some work done, it is also set apart by its identification as an LGBTQIA+ and women-owned independent bookstore. Atlas sells both new and used books, including a clearance cart where books are available for as cheap as one dollar. The store also hosts a myriad of community events and activities, including book clubs, author signings, open houses for various community organizations, supply drives, pop-ups, and more!

I had the wonderful opportunity to interview founder and owner Kara Taghon about all things Atlas: the origins of the store, how it is run, and the vision for its future.

M&L: How did the idea for Atlas come about? 

KT: Atlas was what I like to call a “bug eating at me” in my mid-twenties. It was born out of grief, I lost a parent very suddenly and realized I didn’t want to make it my retirement project. I have a deep love for our community and helping others (along with books and coffee). I had the means to make it happen, and the capacity to hold others and create safe space. 

M&L: What is your daily routine like as a bookstore owner? 

KT: My day is the least structured out of most of my staff. I regularly fly by the seat of my pants, starting my day by opening the store and ending it at my home office, in a meeting, at the bank, getting milk, etc. My days are never the same, and I prefer that!

M&L: What is your favorite thing about owning a bookstore/café? 

KT: By far, my favorite thing has been relationship building and community fostering. Being able to watch people organically find their people in this space I’ve created will always fill my cup tenfold. I am so lucky to be where I am, doing what I’m doing in times that are pretty heavy. 

M&L: What is your favorite memory from working at Atlas? 

KT: I had the honor of helping with a marriage proposal last year in store on our winter break. It was beautiful. Besides that, the memories that stick with me the most are the ones I had while building the space with my crew. The entire store was refurbished by our hands. Looking back and seeing how much knowledge we’ve gained, and that I have gained as a business owner, is astounding. I am profoundly grateful for the experience.

M&L: Atlas is very active on social media and participates in a lot of fun trends. How do you manage running the store/café, running the social media pages, coming up with content ideas, filming, etc.? 

KT: Holy cow- this is actually one of the HARDEST things to manage! I am fortunate to have a Creative Director and two wildly talented baristas in-house who handle all of my social media and marketing (I help, but they are the gurus). Our branding and content are done by her (the Creative Director) as well. We collaborate as a team on goofy content ideas. At the end of the day, we really are just having fun here. We want to take the seriousness out of day-to-day work, and we do that together as a family.

M&L: What are some of the community activities that Atlas hosts?

KT: We host a wide range of programming for our community: from book clubs to game nights, readings/signings, collections drives, and so much more. We remain active after hours constantly, and find we reach the most people once the business day is through. 

M&L: What is your favorite event that Atlas has hosted? 

KT: To date, my most cherished event will always be our Indie Bookstore Day that happens once a year in April. We were floored this year by our turnout. We had a line around the building before we opened and throughout the day. It was a whirlwind!

M&L: What is a book you would recommend to WIU English majors (or readers in general)? 

KT: Great question! I am a poetry reader primarily, and always like to recommend Space Struck by Paige Lewis. As far as general fiction is considered, I always recommend Tommy Orange’s There, There.

M&L: What is your favorite drink at Atlas? 

KT: Shocker, but it is the Atlas: a dirty spiced chai with oat milk.

M&L: What is your vision of the future for the Atlas Collective? 

KT: I look forward to seeing Atlas morph into a combined art space for our local talent to converge and create. While still offering what we do now, I’d like to expand by offering more programming for families, older adults, and mental health services. What I wish for is for it to eventually be taken over by a younger generation of community leaders and people who care about connection and people.

In addition to my conversation with Kara, I was able to interview a couple of WIU students who love Atlas and hang out there when not on campus. Olivia Haney is a junior at Western who frequents the store and has even been involved in a few of their community events.

M&L: How/when did you first hear about The Atlas Collective?

OH: My best friend Kae was there for their grand opening in January of 2024 and raved about just how cute and cozy it was. I finally made it down there a couple of weeks later.

M&L: What do you remember about your first time being there?

OH: Just the feeling of being happy. I bought three books and was overjoyed to have an indie bookstore only five minutes from my house. I was comfortable there, knowing that the people that ran it were supportive, caring, and inclusive!

M&L: What is your favorite thing about the store?

OH: The people! You know when you’re in there that the people who run it care. There’s always a listening ear or a friendly smile. I’m proud to say that the creative director, Brooke, has now become a dear friend of mine. You will always be welcomed in, no matter what. 

M&L: Have you ever attended any kind of community event/book signing/etc at Atlas? If so, what was your favorite?

OH: Yes! Before my schedule got super crazy, I regularly attended book clubs there, and I have been to a couple of book signings for indie romance authors that I adore. I think my favorite event there was the Chelsea Curto signing back in August. Seeing the store fill up with readers like I’d never seen before warmed my heart, and I got to hop in and help manage things as Chelsea signed books and chatted with readers for almost two hours straight. The romance book community specifically showed up for them that day, and it made my heart feel full.

M&L: What is your favorite drink from the Atlas drink menu?

OH: I have a couple that I rotate through, but my favorite is their Clean Atlas. It’s an off-menu drink that consists of vanilla chai with brown sugar and white mocha and originated as an April Fool’s joke in 2024, but has remained one of my all-time favorite drinks there.

Macie McCuddin is a senior at WIU and holds a membership at Atlas. 

M&L: How/when did you first hear about The Atlas Collective?

MM: I saw them posted on Facebook advertised as an LGBTQIA+, women-owned bookstore just before they opened. 

M&L: What do you remember about your first time being there?

MM: I loved how inclusive the environment felt and immediately noticed how kind Kara, Brooke, and the rest of the staff were. The selection of books was perfect for any reader; they had a little bit of everything.

M&L: What is your favorite thing about the store?

MM: I love the environment! It is cozy and warm, and they have books for every kind of reader. I love the various non-book 
items they have for sale as well, like the keychains, stickers, and pins.

M&L: What is your favorite drink from the Atlas drink menu?

MM: ARIES!!!! 

The Atlas Collective is a warm, welcoming third space for WIU-QC students and everyone else in the Quad Cities community. The staff, books, drinks, and atmosphere are all excellent.  If you haven’t been to Atlas yet, pay it a visit! You’ll understand why The Atlas Collective is one of the most popular off-campus hangouts for Western Illinois University-Quad Cities students.