Store of the ish: Broad Vocabulary
Issue #30
The owners of the Milwaukee feminist bookstore say their goal is to subvert the dominant paradigm
By Angie Vo
Published: December 1st, 2006 | 1:56pm
Looking to expand your feminist lexicon? So were Amy Daroszesk, Molly Tennessen, and Kelly Todd. They yearned for a one-stop wonder for feminist literature in the upper Midwest, so they opened Broad Vocabulary, a bookstore in Milwaukee’s Bayview neighborhood.
The three women — who met as co-presidents of the College Feminists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee — opened the shop to fill a void in their community. “There is a big feminist community in Milwaukee, but there wasn’t really a gathering place to meet,” Tennessen says. “And we were tired of driving to Madison to get our feminist literature.”
“We had all recently graduated college and were looking for a new project,” Todd says. “It seemed logical to start the bookstore rather than complain about the lack of one.”
The store, which opened just more than a year ago, is a cozy space characterized by its specialized selection of books, magazines, and other independent publications that focus on feminism and progressive politics. It also features artwork, tees, and some comfy chairs and a couch for the many book clubs, presentations, and meetings that Broad Vocabulary hosts.
Todd and store manager Bethany Vannest order all the books to avoid confusion, says Tennessen. “But we do have a binder in which we all write our suggested titles to stock. It mostly consists of new books or old personal favorites.” They each have certain areas of “expertise” but all weigh in for the feminism, queer studies, fiction, cultural studies, theory, and young adult materials.
Though Broad Vocabulary received its name by default — the bank wouldn’t give the women a loan under its originally proposed name of Milwaukee Feminist Bookstore — Tennessen feels that it still reflects the beliefs of the store’s owners and customers: “Subverting the dominant paradigm.”
Broad Vocabulary regularly collaborates with other stores in the Milwaukee area. The bookstore’s sign was created by Milwaukee crafter Faythe Levine, who owns Paper Boat Boutique, a retail store and art gallery in the same neighborhood. The bookstore hosts locally based events, such as a reading of Milwaukee erotic journal Blam!Blam! and workshops by the Tool Shed, a female-friendly, female-run sex shop. Working with other independent businesses is all a part of Broad Vocabulary’s vision, Tennessen says. “Our store is a way we can share our knowledge and interest in feminism with the public,” she says. “We enjoy helping others who are contributing to the community as well.”
“Education and community building are part of our main agenda for opening,” Todd says. “Reading is critical, but applying what you read and having a safe space within the community is also crucial.”
Broad Vocabulary’s Best-selling Books (as of late October 2006)
• Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Allison Bechdel
• Homegrown: Engaged Cultural Criticism by bell hooks and Amalia Mesa-Bains
• A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
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