Amazon Bookstore Coop to Close  

By Claire Kirch -- Publishers Weekly, 5/29/2008 8:05:00 AM

Amazon Bookstore Coop, one of the country’s oldest feminist bookstore, is closing the doors at the end of June, the store’s nine owner-employees announced in an e-mail sent to store friends and patrons Thursday morning. The store, founded on the front porch of a women’s collective in Minneapolis in 1970, has moved around the city several times since then, and is currently located in a 2,800-square-foot retail space in the Northrop neighborhood. 

In their e-mail, the store staff wrote, “We, like many independents, have struggled to keep up with the proliferation of chains and online mega-retailers (you know the ones),” but added we “cannot go on.” Earlier this year, it was announced that Amazon was for sale, but the store’s current co-owners were unable to find a buyer.

Amazon Bookstore Coop made headlines in 1999 when it sued online book retailer Amazon.com for trademark infringement. After going to trial, the two parties subsequently settled, with Amazon.com paying Amazon Bookstore Coop an undisclosed amount.