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Written by DC Tedrow
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Saturday, 16 February 2008 |
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Writing for StraightShooter Magazine, Ruth Fertig has a lengthy piece on Austin's BookWoman, the only independent feminist bookstore in the city. From the article: “Being an independent bookstore in America is hard…with Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders and all that,” said Kelly Marshall, a BookWoman employee. “My gut feeling is that a lot of independent businesses are not seeing as much business and are suffering because of it.” In BookWoman’s case, “I think it was a matter of not realizing the trouble we were in until it reached a critical point,” said Marshall. Before the advent of “big box” retailers and online bookstores, BookWoman began in the ‘70s as a collectively-run enterprise called the Common Woman Bookstore. The store grew in size, changed its name and location and evolved into a privately-owned venture, but its mission, according to Marshall, is still to serve as a safe space for the feminist community. With readings and lectures, concerts and movie nights, BookWoman provides a venue for voices and viewpoints alternative to the mainstream.
Full text available here.
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February 2008 
