Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Hollenbeck.
Sarah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I studied writing for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. In graduate school, I supported myself with a mixture of odd and odder jobs that included bookselling. I loved being a bookseller, but it never occurred to me that this part-time passion could be a full-time career. After graduating with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Northwestern, I was working part-time at Women & Children First, an independent bookstore and one of the last remaining feminist bookstores in North America. Soon after being hired at W&CF, I was told that the co-founders (Ann Christophersen and Linda Bubon) were ready to sell the store and retire. Almost immediately my brain started churning with maybe’s. I loved the idea of owning a bookstore, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone. So, I approached the bookstore’s manager at the time, Lynn Mooney, and asked if she’d like to pool our resources and distinct skill sets and apply to buy the store. Ann and Linda received several applications from interested buyers, but in the end they picked Lynn and me to be their successors, essentially keeping the bookstore “in the family.” These days the store is going strong! My primary role is that of the publicity, marketing, and events coordinator. On average, we host a dozen events each month from author readings to panel discussions to kids activities. Because we have a clear identity as an intersectional feminist bookstore, our events have a uniquely political point of view, which helps us build a strong and close-knit community. The bookstore consumes 97% of my life, but I do still try to set aside some time for writing and very occasionally performing at storytelling events around the city. Last year, I was invited to contribute an essay about what it’s like to live as a disabled woman under the Trump administration to an anthology called NASTY WOMEN published by Picador. We hosted the Chicago launch party for the book and it was such an amazing opportunity to have my typically parallel lives of bookseller and writer intersect.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Co-owning a small business means putting out lots of little fires every day. Whether those fires spring from delayed orders, glitch-y technology, building issues or staffing issues, there’s always something that arises and wildly compromises your day’s original to-do list. We’re very lucky to have such a supportive community that often springs into action whenever we hit a bump in the road. For example, when we arrived at the store one day to find water pouring from a burst pipe in the ceiling, our customers came out in throngs to buy books and bring us donuts and coffee. And when Amazon decided to open a brick-and-mortar “bookstore” not far from us, we were overwhelmed by a groundswell of support. First, our customers vocally took to social media to pledge their support to Women & Children First and their other favorite indies. Then, our fellow independent bookstores enthusiastically worked with us to form the Chicagoland Independent Bookstore Alliance, an association dedicated to raising awareness about the vitality of indie book retail.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Women & Children First story. Tell us more about the business.
Women & Children First is one of the largest feminist bookstores in the country, stocking more than 30,000 books by and about women, children’s books for all ages, and the best LGBTQ fiction and non-fiction. We also carry cards, magazines, blank books and journals, posters, calendars, also fiercely feminist gift items like pins, buttons, stickers, and pride flags. When the bookstore opened in 1979, the mission was to celebrate the writing of women, people of color, LGBTQ authors, and other marginalized voices. Since the change in ownership, we’ve undergone a major renovation to freshen the physical space, but the store’s mission remains the same. I am very proud of our incredibly robust and diverse events, which are largely free and open to the public.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We’ve been extraordinarily lucky these last few years as more and more young people are loudly identifying as feminists. Simultaneously, we have experienced an indie bookstore renaissance with rising physical book sales as well as more and more stores opening in the Chicago-area.
Contact Info:
- Address: Women & Children First
5233 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60640 - Website: www.womenandchildrenfirst.com
- Phone: 773-769-9299
- Email: wcfbooks@gmail.com
- Instagram: @wcfbook
- Facebook: @womenandchildrenfirstbooks
- Twitter: @wcfbook
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/women-and-children-first-chicago?osq=Women+%26+Children+First
Image Credit:
Sara Hindmarch (photo of the store), Patrick Allen Carberry (photo of Sarah)
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