Amazon Bookstore Cooperative

Amazon Bookstore Cooperative was a feminist and lesbian bookstore in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1970 by Rosina Richter Christy and Julie Morse Quist, it emerged from the women in print movement, a network of feminist publishers, distributors, communications projects, and bookstores created to improve women's control over cultural production and access to writing by and about women. The store was named for the Amazons of Greek mythology, understood in this context as a symbol of independent and formidable women. The business began on a modest, collective basis. During its first approximately two years, books were kept in the front room of the founders' communal residence and were available only during limited afternoon hours or by special arrangement. It subsequently moved to the Minneapolis Lesbian Resource Center and later occupied a succession of storefronts. Its early operating conditions reflected the financial and organizational constraints common to feminist bookstores: staff and volunteers worked in difficult neighborhoods, in buildings without adequate heat, and sometimes in premises where frozen pipes and other basic infrastructure problems made daily operations challenging. Amazon developed beyond the function of a conventional retail shop. It supplied feminist, lesbian, gay, and other hard-to-find books; provided a physical meeting place; hosted or supported events; and helped readers discover authors and political writing that were often absent from mainstream bookselling. The store therefore served as part of a broader community infrastructure. Its importance was local, but its reputation extended nationally and internationally. It was described as one of the oldest independent feminist bookstores in North America and possibly the oldest in the English-speaking world, although the precise superlative depends on how continuity and institutional definitions are applied. The store later became involved in a trademark dispute with Amazon.com, which was founded in 1994. In 1999, the cooperative sued Amazon.com for trademark infringement. The dispute was settled in November of that year. Under the settlement, the bookstore assigned its common-law rights in the Amazon name to Amazon.com and received a license permitting it to continue using the name. The arrangement reduced immediate confusion between the two businesses but left the bookstore's naming rights dependent on the relationship with the much larger technology and retail company. In 2008, the business announced plans to close. Ruta Skujins, assisted by her partner Joann Bell, came forward to continue the store as an independent business. Ownership transferred near the end of June, but the new operator could not continue using the Amazon name because the name was controlled by Amazon.com under the settlement. The store consequently adopted the name True Colors Bookstore, while using both names during a transitional period. Financial difficulties emerged in late 2011, and the bookstore closed in February 2012. Although the retail operation is defunct, its cultural legacy remains visible in feminist and queer literary history, local community memory, and archival collections. Cartoonist and graphic novelist Alison Bechdel drew on experiences at the store when developing the fictional Madwimmin Books in Dykes to Watch Out For. The records of Amazon Bookstore Cooperative are held by the University of Minnesota, preserving documentation of its organizational and community role.

Amazon Bookstore Cooperative was established in Minneapolis in 1970 by Rosina Richter Christy and Julie Morse Quist. Its creation was part of the women in print movement, through which second-wave feminists built independent systems for publishing, distributing, selling, and discussing feminist literature. The bookstore's name referred to the Amazons of classical mythology and conveyed an image of women acting independently and collectively. The original operation was small and informal. For roughly its first two years, books were stored in the front room of the collective residence where the founders lived. Customers could shop only during a limited afternoon period, from approximately 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., or by making a special arrangement. The store later moved to the Minneapolis Lesbian Resource Center and then occupied several other storefronts. Its working environment was not always stable: accounts of the early period describe unsafe surroundings, unheated premises, frozen plumbing, and the need for workers to wear gloves indoors. These conditions illustrate the material limitations under which many feminist bookstores operated while building alternative cultural institutions. Amazon's role was broader than selling books. It offered feminist and lesbian publications, including works that were difficult to locate in mainstream bookstores, and gave women a place to meet, exchange information, attend events, and develop community ties. The store participated in the cultural infrastructure of feminist and lesbian life in Minneapolis while also contributing to a wider network of independent feminist bookstores. Over time, it gained a reputation as one of the oldest independent feminist bookstores in North America, and perhaps the oldest in the English-speaking world, although such descriptions depend on how bookstores and institutional continuity are counted. The business encountered a major naming problem after Amazon.com was founded in 1994. In 1999, Amazon Bookstore Cooperative sued Amazon.com for trademark infringement. The proceeding was reportedly contentious, but the parties reached a settlement in November of that year. The cooperative transferred its common-law rights in the Amazon name to Amazon.com, while Amazon.com granted it a license to continue using the name. This allowed the bookstore to operate under its established identity for a period, but the name became subject to the larger company's ownership and licensing position. In 2008, the bookstore announced that it would close. Ruta Skujins, with assistance from her partner Joann Bell, took over the business as an independent bookstore near the end of June. Because the Amazon name could not be used by the new owner under the post-lawsuit arrangement, the business changed its name to True Colors Bookstore. Amazon and True Colors were both used during the transition. The successor operation encountered financial difficulties in late 2011 and closed in February 2012. The cooperative's influence continued after its closure. Its bookstore model helped demonstrate how retail space could function as a community and political institution, not merely as a commercial outlet. Alison Bechdel drew on her experiences at the store in creating the fictional Madwimmin Books in Dykes to Watch Out For, linking the bookstore to a wider body of lesbian and feminist popular culture. The organization's records are preserved in the University of Minnesota archives, providing an institutional source for research into feminist bookselling, lesbian community history, and the women in print movement.

• 2012

  Bookstore closed

  [1]Amazon Bookstore Cooperativeen.wikipedia.org

  The successor True Colors Bookstore closed in February after financial difficulties that had begun in late 2011.

• 2008

  Ownership transferred and the business became True Colors Bookstore

  [1]Amazon Bookstore Cooperativeen.wikipedia.org

  Ruta Skujins and Joann Bell continued the store after its announced closure, later changing its name because the Amazon name could not be retained by the new owner.

• 1999

  Name dispute settled with Amazon.com

  [1]Amazon Bookstore Cooperativeen.wikipedia.org

  The cooperative's lawsuit against Amazon.com ended in a settlement under which Amazon.com received rights to the Amazon name and licensed its continued use to the bookstore.

• 1994

  Amazon.com founded

  [1]Amazon Bookstore Cooperativeen.wikipedia.org

  The founding of Amazon.com eventually created a naming and trademark conflict with the much older Minneapolis bookstore.

• 1972

  Moved beyond its original communal residence

  [1]Amazon Bookstore Cooperativeen.wikipedia.org

  After roughly two years operating from the front room of a collective residence, the bookstore moved to the Minneapolis Lesbian Resource Center and later relocated through several storefronts.

• 1970

  Amazon Bookstore Cooperative founded

  [1]Amazon Bookstore Cooperativeen.wikipedia.org

  Rosina Richter Christy and Julie Morse Quist founded the feminist bookstore in Minneapolis as part of the women in print movement.

An independent, community-oriented feminist and lesbian bookstore that combined retailing with cultural organizing, literary discovery, and support for women-centered publishing.

• Books · 1970

  Feminist books

  The store's core range consisted of feminist writing and books addressing women's lives, politics, history, sexuality, and culture. It helped readers obtain works that were often unavailable or difficult to find through mainstream bookselling channels.

• Books · 1970

  Lesbian and queer literature

  Amazon stocked lesbian literature and other publications relevant to queer communities. This selection supported the store's role as both a specialist retailer and a physical gathering point for readers seeking representation and community-specific writing.

• Books and periodicals · 1970

  Independent and small-press publications

  The bookstore participated in an alternative publishing and distribution culture by carrying feminist, lesbian, and other independent publications. Its inventory connected local readers with authors and presses outside dominant commercial channels.

• 2008

  Transition from cooperative bookstore to independent successorStrategy

  Background

  The bookstore announced that it would close, creating an opportunity for new operators to preserve the business.

  Action taken

  Ruta Skujins, assisted by Joann Bell, took over the store and continued it independently. The business subsequently operated under the True Colors Bookstore name.

  Aftermath

  The successor bookstore continued for several years but experienced financial difficulties and closed in February 2012.

  Source

• 1999

  Settlement of the Amazon name disputeOther

  Background

  The bookstore sued Amazon.com for trademark infringement after the technology and online retail company began operating under the same name.

  Action taken

  The cooperative assigned its common-law rights in the Amazon name to Amazon.com, while receiving a license to continue using the name.

  Aftermath

  The settlement allowed continued use for a time but meant that a later owner could not freely retain the Amazon name. After the 2008 ownership transfer, the store adopted the name True Colors Bookstore.

  Source

1. 1Amazon Bookstore Cooperativeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Amazon Bookstore Cooperative Records, University of Minnesotalib.umn.edu