Arise

[Now out of business, to be replaced by a similar store with a different name]

Arise Bookstore is one of the two left political bookstores in the Twin Cities, the other being Mayday Books which I reviewed in an earlier post. In the years I worked at Mayday Books, I noticed that there was somewhat of a friendly rivalry between the two stores. It might be different now, since Arise seems to change a lot over the years with a high turnover in volunteers, but the common notion was that Arise was more of an anarchist and environmentalist hangout and the Mayday catered more to a wide left community. I would go to Arise once or twice a year to support the store, out of solidarity, but the store community and its political focus wasn't my scene.

One bit of history I always found interesting, told to me when I worked at Mayday, was that Arise Bookstore was a split from the Mayday back in late 80s or early 90s. Accounts differ, but I've heard that the people who eventually became the Arise wanted a political program and be more than a leftist bookstore and community space. I've also heard that the Arise group wanted more organization in the store. Whatever the details, I think most of the Arise volunteers today cannot remember the details of the split. Today the two stores work together in complementary way.

In the times that I have bought literature from Arise, I was impressed with their radical fiction section. In the past their non-fiction selection was a little outdated, but in recent years I think their book ordering has improved.

BookSmart

Just down the road from Magers and Quinn, and very close to the Uptown Theater in the Uptown district, Booksmart was a major destination for us when we lived in the Twin Cities. My wife and I would find ourselves in Booksmart on Weekend nights, Friday or Saturday night, usually when waiting for a movie to start at Uptown or the Lagoon Theater, after having eaten at the Indian restaurant off Calhoun Square.

Booksmart had a very big selection, like many indie bookstores in the Twin Cities, but its selection was better in academic titles than other stores except the Book House. It had a first floor and a basement. I remember always being drawn to the used liberal arts selections in the basement and buying at least one or books each time.

When visiting Minneapolis this past July, my friend and I didn't stop in. We were running short on time and so I only had time to snap a picture. It's a great store nonetheless and an especially great place to hang out on the weekends between food and a movie.

BookSmart
2914 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 823-5612

Magers and Quinn

I'm embarrassed to admit that I never visited Magers and Quinn when I lived in the Twin Cities. My only knowledge of the store was that it sponsored Robert Brenner's talk on the Iraq War at the University of Minnesota. (We at Mayday Books thought it surprising that a political bookstore wouldn't have been asked.) So, having heard about the store, I finally made it over for a visit on my recent trip to Minneapolis. My friend Kirk and I browsed the maze of bookshelves of this classic old store. Magers and Quinn is located in a prime spot in the heart of the Uptown area, right on Hennepin Avenue. I can't imagine why I hadn't been there before. My only guess is that it was closed late weekend nights when we happened to be in Uptown or we didn't venture south enough that late.

Magers and Quinn
3038 Hennepin Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-822-4611

Cummings Books

Cummings Books is an excellent bookstore, located in Dinkytown, Minneapolis, just a few stores down from the Book House (reviewed in the immediately prior blog post). When I lived in Minneapolis, and I would be searching for a particular book, it would be very convenient to look in both of these stores, being so close on the same street. I actually thought that the stores might be owned by the same person, but I now doubt it.

What I liked about Cummings is that it had a very different personality than that of Book House. The books were arranged in a more orderly fashion, with nice clean rows, and from what I remember, without double-shelving. There wasn't the gigantic selection of the Book House, I believe, but I could be wrong about this. They did have a good selection as well. The aesthetics of the store were pleasing, and there were always quite a few animals in the store, cats roaming around, and a few large birds in cages (I forgot what kind). It's definitely a shame that my experience of Cummings is wrapped up in that of the Book House, because from what I remember, the store had a charm and personality (and book selection) all its own.

Cummings Books
417 14th Ave. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 331-1424

The Book House

The Book House, in Minneapolis' historic Dinkytown near the University of Minnesota, has got to be the most impressive indie bookstore in the Midwest. That definitely sounds hyperbolic, I know, but its selection is just that amazing. If you're visiting Minneapolis and need a place to go, check out the ginormous Book House and then tour the Dinkytown business district. With its cafes and college life, the Dinkytown is a little respite from the all-too-typical Minneapolis scene. (Back in the day, Dinkytown was Bob Dylan's hangout. According to the Book House website, Dylan lived in Dinkytown for a year, calling it the University of Dinkytown.)

I just visited Minneapolis this past summer, after having moved from there last year, and I must admit that I didn't have time to visit the Book House this time around. (I did visit Dinkytown and get its picture, though.) Nonetheless, in the seven years I lived in Minneapolis, my favorite place to shop for books was the Book House. In every genre, their selection was gigantic, especially in the academic categories in the basement. It seems like they outgrew the store space many years ago, now that books are actually double-shelved. Double-shelved? Behind each row of books is another row, sometimes with more rows on the floor, which I have to say, was equally frustrating and impressive. My memory was that almost any important academic work could be found in the store, and my principle when I lived there was to always check the Book House, and the Cummings next to it, before resorting to the anti-union Barnes and Borders. One time, I remember, I needed a book for one of my teacher preparation courses, a popular title called The First Day of School (or something similar), and I thought I'd give Book House a try before resorting to one of the corporate outfits, Sure enough, it was there, used and less expensive, and I didn't have to inadvertently support a union-busting company!

In thinking about the Bookhouse, and the many first-rate indie bookstores in Minneapolis, I'm reminded that many people in the town, when answering one of those Best of the Best surveys in the local papers, hardly ever vote for these stores. Sometimes a Book House, or a Magers and Quinn, gets to the top of the list or an honorable mention, but so many people vote year after year for one-size-fits-all stores like Barnes and Borders. In my view, stores like Book House should be heading those lists every year.

The Book House
429 14th Avenue SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 331-1430
www.bookhouseindinkytown.com

Mayday Books

Of all the bookstores in the world, Mayday Bookstore in Minneapolis, Minnesota is the nearest and dearest to my heart.

For seven years when I lived in the Twin Cities, I volunteered at Mayday Bookstore every Saturday afternoon, opening the store at 12pm (or sometime between 12 and 12:30, whenever I happened to arrive) and working the 12 - 3pm shift. It was a very relaxing job - no cash register, computer, and since all books were 15% off the cover price, you didn't have to worry about being very exact with the final price. But the reason I volunteered at Mayday had nothing to do with the ease of the job. Mayday Bookstore is truly a community, one that is centered around a cause. At Mayday, the volunteer workers oftentimes give their own money to the store to keep it afloat, reflected in one of their mottos: Not making a profit since 1975.

Mayday Bookstore is a progressive community space, centered around books, but involving much more. Non-profit and volunteered-run, its goal isn't making money. Rather, the bookstore provides progressive activists of the Twin Cities area with a place to meet and congregate, discuss books and ideas, and organize around political issues. To get to Mayday Books, it might be a good idea to get directions first. It is located in the popular West Bank neighborhood, near the university, but unless you approach the area southbound on Cedar Ave. you might not see its basement entrance. The best landmark is Midwest Mountaineering, the block-long sporting goods store on Cedar Avenue. Mayday is in the basement below Midwest Mountaineering, actually below and to the side of this store, facing north toward 19th street.

In entering the store, one notices right away that they are in a vibrant political space. Colorful campaign and issue signs decorate the store, marking the progressive causes of the Twin Cities area, some of which were initiated and organized right from the bookstore. Also affecting the atmosphere, the walls are of gray and damp stone, which exudes the sense that one is in a catacombs. The store's walls are lined with book shelves, reaching to the ceiling, and sporting the political titles of labor, feminism, environmentalism, socialism, anarchism, black history, Native American, and Middle East. In the middle of the store, there is a comfortable maroon sofa, numerous book and card displays, and two large tables in the center where people will oftentimes ruminate over political issues of the day. The experience one has shopping at the store depends greatly on who is there at the time. Sometimes it will be just the volunteer worker at the large desk, immediately beneath the store sign, and your browsing of the store will be mostly quiet and peaceful. At other times, the store is bustling with activity. There may be a meeting going on, large or small, or activists might be informally meeting and discussing plans for the day. Sometimes, there will be a number of people conversing on issues. Only once in awhile does the conversation get boisterous and heated, but it should be said, this was a big draw for me. Not knowing what to expect on any given day is what makes the place so unique!

Even though Mayday Books is a progressive store, everyone is always welcome, no matter their political affiliation. What makes the store so special is the people who work and shop there. It's one of those places in America where community still exists, triumphing over the crass and cold materialism of the chains and larger stores.

Mayday Books
301 Cedar Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota 44545
(612)-333-4719
www.maydaybookstore.org
maydaybookstore.blogspot.com