Since the 1960s and 1970s bookstores, particularly feminist bookstores, have served as important gathering places and sources of information for LGBTQ individuals. In the past 20 years, nearly 90% of these bookstores have closed. Changes to the publishing industry and political landscapes are likely reasons, nevertheless these community spaces have diminished dramatically.
(Click purple icons to get name and address information. See full list of 2014 feminist bookstores with addresses and links below map.)
Feminist Bookstores in US in 1994/5 (Total: 100)
Feminist Bookstores in US in 2014 (Total: 14, as of 15 Feb 2014)
Existing US Feminist Bookstores (as of 15 Feb 2014)
- Antigone Books – 411 N. 4th Ave. Tucson AZ 85705 http://www.antigonebooks.com/
- A Room of One’s Own – 315 W. Gorham St. Madison WI 53703 http://www.roomofonesown.com/
- Bloodroot Restaurant and Bookstore – 85 Ferris St Bridgeport CT 06605 http://www.bloodroot.com/
- Bluestockings – 172 Allen Street New York NY 10002 http://bluestockings.com/
- Book-Woman – 5501 North Lamar #A-105 Austin TX 78751 http://www.ebookwoman.com/
- Charis Books and More – 1189 Euclid Ave, NE Atlanta GA 30307 http://www.charisbooksandmore.com/
- Common Language Bookstore – 317 Braun Court Ann Arbor MI 48104 http://glbtbooks.com/
- Herland Sister Resources Inc. – 2312 NW 39th Oklahoma City OK 73112 http://www.herlandsisters.org/
- In Other Words – Feminist Community Center – 14 NE Killingsworth Portland OR 97211 http://inotherwords.org/
- Jane Addams Book Shop – 208 North Neil St. Champaign IL 61820 http://www.janeaddamsbooks.com/
- People Called Women – 6060 Renaissance Place Suite F Toledo OH 43623 http://www.peoplecalledwomen.com/
- Wild Iris Books – 22 SE 5th Ave Suite D Gainesville FL 32601 http://shop.wildirisbooks.com/
- Women & Children First – 5233 N. Clark St Chicago IL 60640 http://www.womenandchildrenfirst.com/
- Womencrafts Inc. – 376 Commercial St Provincetown MA 02657 http://www.womencrafts.com/
Sources for Historical Information
- Feminist Bookstores’ Catalog, 1995 edition. Published by Carol Seajay and the Feminist Bookstore News, San Francisco, CA. (I obtained my copy directly from Carol Seajay and compiled the bookstore information into a spreadsheet.)
NOTE: The Feminist Bookstore News was founded and published by Carol Seajay from 1976-2000. It provided independent feminist bookstores with a way to communicate across their community and also for publishers and authors to access feminist audiences. The Feminist Bookstore Network was a formal association of feminist bookstore owners and operators, also tied to Seajay, which helped those within that community connect and organize. Both the New York Public Library and the Lesbian Herstory Archives hold complete collections of the Feminist Bookstore News, among other feminist and LGBTQ publications. To learn a little bit more about Seajay and the FBN, here are a couple of web references:
- “Carol Seajay, Old Wives Tales and the Feminist Bookstore Network,” essay by Elizabeth Sullivan posted on Found San Francisco. http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=Carol_Seajay,_Old_Wives_Tales_and_the_Feminist_Bookstore_Network
- Article about Seajay by Michelle Tea: http://www.sfbg.com/40/21/lit_househunter.html
- Windy City Times article about FBN: http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Feminist-Bookstore-News-closes/28678.html
- Article by Alexis Clements about locating queer literature with quotes from Seajay: http://hyperallergic.com/72719/the-bookish-queer-locating-queer-literature-then-and-now/
Sources for 2014 Information
- Charis Bookstores Web Listing of Feminist Bookstores: http://charis.indiebound.com/independent-feminist-bookstores-across-north-america
- Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press (some info on this page is out of date and non-US): http://www.wifp.org/DWM/Bookstores.html
- Bluestockings website: http://bluestockings.com/