One of America’s Oldest Feminist Bookshops Remains a Beacon for Marginalized People

In the ’90s, Antigone Books was one of the first places I found refuge as a struggling teenager. In honor of Indie Bookstore Day, I spoke to the women currently running the shop.

Image courtesy Antigone Books; collage by Yunuen Bonaparte

It was the 1990s, I was in my mid-teens, and every day the bus would drop me off after school at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Sixth Street in Tucson, Arizona, where I would meet up with my friends from a different high school. Fourth Avenue, located near the University of Arizona campus, is populated by cafes and thrift shops and cute little stores that I could wander in endlessly as a teenager figuring out my own identity. Antigone Books stands out in my memory as a respite from the struggles of being a teenager, a place that offered a safe space for self-exploration. 

I remember my friend Rita picking up a button once that read “Sorry I Missed Church. I Was Busy Practicing Witchcraft and Becoming a Lesbian.” We laughed, but the truth was more serious — Rita was exploring bisexuality and paganism in a household dominated by strict religious parents during a time before social media. Antigone provided information that we were hungry for, and that we couldn’t get anywhere else. More than that, it held space for our growing selves, between the walls and between the pages of the inspirational books sold there. Last time I visited, I saw people reminiscent of me and my friends as teens, curious and yearning, but also content, and I could tell it was a safe haven for them, too.  

Antigone Books, named after the Greek mythological character “who stood her ground against male authority figures,” celebrated 50 years last fall, marking it as one of the oldest feminist bookstores in the United States. It was first opened in 1973 by a trio of women said to have been inspired by the Take Back the Night movement. It’s changed hands several times since, always remaining an open-minded, heart-centered woman-owned business. 

The store has moved down the street from the location I remember as a teenager, into a brighter and bigger space where it’s easier to host author readings, which they often do. Here, laughter echoes out from the children’s section, while nearby, adults will often sit around a low table perusing art books. Students in the university taking courses related to intersectional feminism, critical race theory and decolonial history may come in to pick up their assigned reading. A shelf and cork board in the back serve as a place for community members to stick flyers announcing marches, potlucks, rooms for rent and local events. 

In 2018, the two women who owned the store at the time decided they were ready to retire, and three staff members came together with the help of a crowdfunding campaign to take their place. In honor of Independent Bookstore Day today, I recently spoke with those current owners: Kate Stern, Melissa Negelspach and Morgan Miller, to learn more about this magical place offering respite in the middle of an urban desert.