Common Woman Books

Common Woman Books was a feminist bookstore and community resource in Edmonton, Alberta, active from 1978 until 1992. It was created by Julie Anne LeGras, Mair Smith, and Halyna Chomiak Freeland in response to the limited availability of feminist writing and political resources for women in Alberta. Rather than functioning only as a conventional bookseller, the store operated as a nonprofit collective of roughly 15 women and relied substantially on volunteer labor. Any modest profits were shared among members of the collective. The project began in a small form, with books kept on a shelf in Freeland’s basement in Edmonton’s Norwood neighbourhood. It later became a travelling bookstore, bringing feminist and queer-oriented materials to smaller communities and to feminist gatherings. On September 12, 1981, Common Woman Books opened its first permanent storefront on 104th Street and 81st Avenue in Old Strathcona. In 1987, it moved to 109 Street in the Garneau Theatre building and used the expanded trading name Common Woman Books/The Radical Bookseller. It later returned to Old Strathcona, establishing a location near Whyte Avenue and 106th Street. The store’s catalogue extended beyond feminist theory. It included feminist and lesbian literature, gay and lesbian publications, newspapers, music and records, fiction, books for young adults, non-sexist children’s books, jewelry, T-shirts, and other materials associated with feminist and community activism. A 1984 advertisement described it as Alberta’s only feminist bookstore and emphasized lesbian literature, challenges to gender stereotypes, feminist theory, and children’s books intended to avoid sexist representation. Common Woman Books also served as a social and educational venue. Its activities included author readings, book nights, reading series, concerts, guest speakers, film festivals, and other public events. A bulletin board at the shop circulated information about readings, signings, concerts, speakers, festivals, and political activities. The collective also transported books to events outside Edmonton, helping distribute material in places where specialized feminist or queer collections were difficult to access. The bookstore maintained particularly strong relationships with Edmonton’s gay and lesbian communities. Later accounts of Edmonton queer history identify it as an important resource for gay women and as a quieter social setting for people who did not find their community in bars or clubs. Its role therefore combined retail, informal education, political organizing, and community-building. The shop was part of a wider feminist movement infrastructure in which bookstores provided access to ideas, networks, and cultural work as well as merchandise. Operational pressures increased during the late 1980s and early 1990s. After an expansion in 1988, Halyna Freeland worked part-time on salary, and former volunteer Andrea Harbour became a full-time employee involved in running and expanding the shop. By the time of the later Old Strathcona location, the store faced competition from other retailers that had begun carrying feminist and lesbian books, as well as continuing economic and staffing difficulties. Common Woman Books closed in 1992. Its documentary legacy survives in the Common Woman Books fonds at the Provincial Archives of Alberta and in related Canadian women’s movement archival holdings at the University of Ottawa.

Common Woman Books emerged from Edmonton’s feminist organizing environment in 1978. Julie Anne LeGras, Mair Smith, and Halyna Chomiak Freeland founded the project because feminist literature was difficult for Alberta women to obtain through ordinary retail channels. Its earliest form was a small collection kept on a shelf in Freeland’s basement in Norwood. From there, it developed into a travelling bookstore that carried books and related material to communities and feminist events. The initiative was structured as a nonprofit collective rather than as a conventional privately owned shop. Approximately 15 women participated in operating it, with volunteers providing much of the labor and sharing the limited profits. This structure reflected the bookstore’s political purpose: making feminist knowledge available while creating a collaborative institution connected to the women’s movement. On September 12, 1981, Common Woman Books opened a storefront at 104th Street and 81st Avenue in Old Strathcona. Its inventory included feminist writing, lesbian and gay literature, newspapers, music, fiction, young-adult books, non-sexist children’s books, and merchandise such as jewelry and T-shirts. The store’s role extended beyond sales. It organized readings, book nights, reading series, concerts, film festivals, guest talks, and other gatherings. Its bulletin board acted as a local information exchange for cultural and political events. In 1987, the business moved to 109 Street in the Garneau Theatre building and adopted the longer name Common Woman Books/The Radical Bookseller. The move accompanied a period of operational development. Freeland, who had worked in law and community activism, took a part-time salaried role at the store in 1987. Following an expansion in 1988, former volunteer Andrea Harbour joined on a full-time salaried basis and contributed to the shop’s expansion in 1989. The bookstore later moved again, returning to Old Strathcona near Whyte Avenue and 106th Street. Common Woman Books was closely connected to Edmonton’s queer community, particularly through its availability of lesbian literature and resources for gay women. Later queer-history accounts describe the shop as a place where people could access political and social information and meet outside the city’s bar- and club-centered spaces. The bookstore’s importance therefore lay not only in the titles it stocked but also in its creation of a physical setting for conversation, cultural activity, and movement-building. During its final period, Common Woman Books faced a more difficult retail environment. Other bookstores increasingly carried feminist and lesbian books, reducing the specialist store’s market advantage. Economic constraints and staffing challenges also affected the collective. The business closed in 1992 after fourteen years of activity. Although the shop no longer operates, its history is preserved through the Common Woman Books fonds at the Provincial Archives of Alberta and related records in the Canadian Women’s Movement Archives Fonds at the University of Ottawa’s Archives and Special Collections.

• 2018

  Included in Edmonton queer-history documentation

  [1]Common Woman Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The bookstore is documented in Edmonton queer-history initiatives and remembered as a resource and social space for queer communities.

• 1992

  Bookstore closes

  [1]Common Woman Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Common Woman Books ends operations amid economic and staffing pressures and increased competition from general bookstores carrying similar titles.

• 1988

  Store expansion and staffing change

  [1]Common Woman Booksen.wikipedia.org

  After an expansion, Halyna Freeland works part-time on salary and former volunteer Andrea Harbour joins the paid staff.

• 1987

  Move to the Garneau Theatre building

  [1]Common Woman Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The shop relocates to 109 Street in the Garneau Theatre building and begins using the name Common Woman Books/The Radical Bookseller.

• 1981

  First permanent storefront opens

  [1]Common Woman Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The bookstore opens on September 12 at 104th Street and 81st Avenue in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona district.

• 1978

  Common Woman Books is founded

  [1]Common Woman Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Julie Anne LeGras, Mair Smith, and Halyna Chomiak Freeland establish the feminist bookstore project in Edmonton to improve access to feminist literature for Alberta women.

A nonprofit feminist and queer-friendly bookstore positioned as both a specialist retailer and a community hub for literature, political education, cultural programming, and social change.

• Books · 1978

  Feminist literature and theory

  The core collection consisted of feminist books addressing political action, women’s movements, gender roles, and feminist theory. These titles were central to the store’s original purpose of making specialized feminist writing accessible to women in Alberta.

• Books and periodicals · 1978

  Lesbian and gay literature

  Common Woman Books carried lesbian literature and resources for gay and lesbian readers. This part of the inventory supported the store’s close relationship with Edmonton’s queer community and helped make it a significant local access point for queer cultural and political material.

• Children’s books

  Non-sexist children’s books

  The bookstore stocked children’s titles selected for non-sexist representation and for their potential to challenge conventional gender stereotypes. These books formed part of its broader effort to provide alternatives to dominant cultural assumptions.

• Music and merchandise

  Music and cultural merchandise

  Alongside books and newspapers, the store offered records, jewelry, T-shirts, and related cultural items. These products complemented its role as a feminist community venue and helped connect literary material with music, identity, and activism.

• 1988

  Expands the shop and introduces paid staffingStrategy

  Background

  The collective sought to sustain and expand the bookstore after years of volunteer-led operation.

  Action taken

  The store expanded, with Halyna Freeland working part-time on salary and Andrea Harbour later joining full-time to help run and develop the shop.

  Aftermath

  The expansion supported further activity during the late 1980s, but staffing and economic pressures remained among the factors that eventually led to closure.

  Source

• 1987

  Adopts the Common Woman Books/The Radical Bookseller nameStrategy

  Background

  The bookstore moved from its original Old Strathcona site to 109 Street in the Garneau Theatre building as its retail and community role developed.

  Action taken

  It used the extended trading name Common Woman Books/The Radical Bookseller.

  Aftermath

  The name reflected the shop’s combination of feminist bookselling, radical political material, and community programming.

  Source

1. 1Common Woman Booksen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Provincial Archives of Alberta collectionsprovincialarchives.alberta.ca
3. 3University of Ottawa Archives and Special Collectionsbiblio.uottawa.ca