Who doesn’t secretly dream of owning their own bookshop? Rows of yellowing volumes filled with harrowing tales, a pastel sundress for every day of the week, a grumpy Ron Swanson-esque cat on the windowsill…It would be like living in a Joanna Newsom music video.
Finally, the chance to make that asbestos-filled dream a reality has arrived! The owners of Chicago’s Women and Children First, one of the last independent feminist bookstores in the United States, are looking to hand over the master key to a new owner.
Founders Linda Bubon and Ann Christophersen opened their doors in 1979 after noticing a major gap in the literary market: They were graduate students studying literature and were having major difficulty finding the female-driven literature they wanted to study.
So, with $15,000 they rectified this injustice by building their own bookshelves and creating a space for women authors and readers that hadn’t previously existed. The pair also made themselves a resource for children and feature a wide selection of children’s books with “active heroines.”
Over the years, through the ups and downs of the economy and big-brother retailers like Barnes & Noble and Borders (R.I.P.), Women and Children First has managed to stay afloat and is ready for the next chapter.
The pair is hoping to find someone “energetic” to carry on the mission of their beloved store. Who knows? It could be you! Just as long as you aren’t getting inspired by Portlandia.
Thanks to NPR
Image via Kevin Zolkiewicz/Flickr
