03/07/2008
When the call went out in October 2007 to "Save & Sustain BookWoman," the only individually owned feminist bookstore in the Texas tri-state area, the Austin community took a Rosie The Riveter "We Can Do It" stance and met the challenge. With community support and fundraising, BookWoman overcame seemingly insurmountable financial hurdles and moved into its new location in February.
"There were angels everywhere," recalls Susan Post, BookWoman's owner. "There were a few large donations from organizations, but most of the help came from individuals. And it wasn't just women, either. In fact, one of our largest donors was a man that simply walked in one day, saying he wanted to help." The man, asking to remain anonymous, left a check for $5000.
BookWoman boasts a long history in the capital city. Shortly after its inception as a feminist book collective in 1974, Susan Post went to work there, organizing its small collection of books. Later, in 1980, she and Karen Umminger opened the store as BookWoman on 6th Street. Susan is now the sole proprietor of the bookstore, having just moved "uptown" from Lamar and 12th to the new location at 5501 North Lamar Boulevard in Austin.
With the usual challenges of "big box" chains and online book distributors, BookWoman also faced rising rates on commercial space in downtown Austin, due to the city's status as not only the state capital of Texas, but also "The Live Music Capital of the World." The confluence of circumstances put BookWoman into dire financial straits, and Susan issued a call to her loyal supporters in October of last year.
A town hall meeting was held, where various fundraising efforts were discussed, as well as sustainability plans for the future. Out of that came individual donations, house concerts and other fundraising events. In December of 2007, a benefit was held featuring a catered Mediterranean dinner, silent auction, music, belly dancing, fire dancing and other performances by women artists. All in all, in the few short months from October to December, Bookwoman supporters raised nearly $40,000, and boosted the store's holiday sales by 20%, no mean feat for a holiday season with flat sales, and the dreaded "R-word" looming on the nation's economic horizon. The dramatic outpouring of support laid the groundwork for BookWoman to meet her debt and move to a new location a little further north, away from the expensive lease rates of the downtown district.
"Now we are urging our customers to 'go the extra mile' once again, to visit us at our new location several blocks north," says Post. "South and Central Austin has a flavor, a soul, of its own, but we like to think we brought a little of that with us. We'd like our loyal customers to bring more of that energy in when they drop by, while encouraging our new northern community to come in and get to know us. It's the best feng shui anyone could ask for."
About BookWoman: BookWoman is a retail bookstore based in Austin, Texas that specializes in books and music produced by women, for women, and about women. It is the only independent feminist bookstore in the Texas tri-state area, and one of only 13 in the entire U.S. The bookstore features books on women's history, women's sexuality, women's issues and other topics of interest to women, teens, adolescents, minority women, and men allied with feminism and the women's movement. The bookstore also actively promotes the work of women authors and music artists through social and community events held on location, as well as providing space for reading and networking groups.