How many feminist bookstores are there?

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)

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:

Sources for 2014 Information

Leave a Reply