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How the Internet Saved This LGBT Bookstore and Restored Our Faith in Humanity
"We are literally brought to tears by this outpouring."
It can be hard for small businesses to compete with huge corporations, as Common Language Bookstore knows good and well. The small feminist/LGBT bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan sometimes went days without a sale and were fighting to make ends meet.
After seeing a post about how few books the store was selling, a disappointed shopper named Rachel took to Tumblr to try and help the business out.
"I’d love it if y’all would consider buying your next gay book from them instead of like, Amazon," she asked the blogging website last Monday.
Sometimes the internet can be used for good! The day after Rachel's Tumblr post, online orders began trickling in.
"So a pretty amazing thing is happening," Common Language wrote on their Facebook page on Tuesday. "Not sure why, but we have had 28 online orders in the last 24 hours. Some kind ambassador is posting something to get people on our site. Whoever that may be (and I have a couple of hunches) thank you so much."
And that was only just the beginning. Rachel's Tumblr post went viral, reaching hundreds of thousands of people around the world, and Common Language had no idea what they were in for.
Wednesday arrived, and the bookstore couldn't believe the amount of traffic their site was receiving. "At last count, we had 211 online orders over the last couple of days. We generally have a handful of online orders PER MONTH," they gleefully typed. "We are literally brought to tears by this outpouring."
"This is transformative."
While Common Language is currently only staffed by three employees and a dog, the team is excited for where this outpouring of support could take them. "We will be able to pay some bills which will steady the ship for a longer voyage. In our wildest dreams, this surge would continue, we'd hire more people to handle the load, and the world would have a thriving honest-to-god queer bookstore.
"Our mission is to create a safe space for LGBT people, a resource for a community, a place of equality for women, a place where black lives truly matter, a place where your gender is what you say it is, not what anyone else says it is."
"All of you did this. You made it happen," they added. "And you can be a part of making that dream come true. In fact, you can be the most important part of making that dream come true."
Faith in humanity restored.
Support LGBT businesses! And buy your next book from Common Language Bookstore!
h/t: The Mary Sue
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
