People’s Books Co-op was founded in June of 2007, when a group of loyal customers came together to transition the store from a sole proprietorship to a volunteer run, cooperatively structured business. Prior to the incorporation of People’s Books Co-op on September 1, 2007, owner Chris Chiu had begun making plans to retire, close the bookstore, store all the books in a local barn, and sell the titles online.
For 30 years prior to the transition to a co-op, Chris Chiu ran People’s Books entirely on his own in various locations around Milwaukee. This is an incredible feat considering the difficulty in running a successful independent bookstore in corporate America. When Chris announced his plans to retire, many dedicated customers feared the loss of what had become a local institution. These book lovers devoted their time and energy to formalizing the community that had sustained People’s Books for so many years.
Many long-time customers may wonder where Chris Chiu is now. When he isn’t volunteering at Growing Power or cleaning up the Milwaukee River from his canoe, Chris still works at People’s Books, on a nearly daily basis. Chris followed through on his plans to make online sales a reality and coordinates all our online sales via half.com, a web site devoted to discount book sales. Many of our titles are available online here, and more titles are available every day. Online purchases are mailed directly to you for your convenience.
If you don’t see the title you are looking for online, please call us at the store, and one of our volunteers will search our database and tell you if we have the book in stock. If not, we can special order any book in print and have it delivered to the store within days.
People’s Books Co-op is sustained through the hard work of our volunteers and the members who have created a sustainable community around the store. Help keep this unique independent radical bookstore alive by becoming a member or volunteer today!
November 1, 2007
Hello Friends of the Cooperative,
Your long awaited People’s Books Co-op letter update is finally here. I know that these letters tend to be a bit lengthy, but after all, as in cooperative fashion, our intent through this community effort is to remain open, transparent and as wholly communicable as possible. The inherent honesty and democratic dialog among our current patrons, members, and volunteers maintain the vitality of Milwaukee’s first cooperative bookstore. Our core, diverse group of community members works and deliberates daily to ensure the success of our cooperative endeavor.
For those unaware of the history behind People’s Books, I share with you this: After Chris Chiu, entrepreneur and original owner, announced the closing of his bookstore, a group of local and active citizens like you rallied to organize People’s Books into a co-op. Chris still remains an invaluable resource in our daily activities. His knowledge and experience continuously educates our volunteers in the art of book selling. The dedicated members of our Board of Directors and our volunteer staff exert themselves tirelessly as they handle the daily operations of an independent bookstore. Equally as important, over thirty of our neighbors, to whom we wish great thanks, have shown their support by becoming either year-long or lifetime members.
Many events illustrate how you, as a patron, member, or volunteer, can help sustain our local, intellectual, free-thinking, and radical bookstore. First, we recently sat on a panel at the Wisconsin Book Festival in Madison to speak on the future of independent bookstores. Also recent, we held our first General Membership Meeting, where the store’s bylaws were approved and our very first Board of Directors elected. We currently hold bi-weekly meetings to envision the future of our store and what we can do to work daily on enacting that vision. This cooperative effort has led to the creation of our website, development of on-line book sales, and to a brand new multicultural children’s section. Others things happening around the store include, a book group that meets monthly, a book advisory committee that meets seasonally to suggest new titles, and the use of the store as community space for local organizations. Future events that invite your participation are internet empowerment classes, out-of-store book sales, film screenings, readings by authors and poets, and the solicitation of textbook orders. Most worthy of your attention is our November 17th Community Gathering, which much like an open house, will offer music, food, books, entertainment, and a chance for you to participate in the enrichment of our community.
It truly is amazing what we have in done thus far in our little, yet spacious, bookstore for you, the community. Over 18,000 new, classic, radical, alternative, and intellectual books rest on our shelves awaiting your perusing eyes. Our book shelves are on wheels so that we as a community space can rearrange the store to facilitate your public needs. New windows offer a sidewalk view of our newest titles handling the most urgent current affairs. Beyond books, we also carry DVDs, buttons, postcards, and coming soon, gift certificates for the holiday season. In the future we envision more bike racks and a philosopher’s bench outside the store.
Of course, none of this would be possible without your community support. We say thanks to Nancy and Carl Hedman for being community builders and to Beans and Barley for being a sustainer. Our bond with other social justice organizations, such as the resurfacing Students for a Democratic Society and the active, energetic Milwaukee Network for Social Change, only strengthens our co-op. Also, our strong relationships with publishers, numerous universities, local businesses, other independent bookstore, and neighbors like you continue to ensure our cooperative effort. There have been bumps in the road, but no journey worth taking is easy.
We intend our cooperative to grow and to become sustainable. This depends on readers and book buyers like us to now see ourselves as members and volunteers. Since the early 90s, the number of independent bookstores nationwide has been cut in half, yet here in Milwaukee we remain strong because of critical consumers like you. Our survival depends on your level of activism. So, support People’s Books Cooperative by coming to the store. Ask us, or better yet, tell us what you can and are willing to do. Our contact info is below.
In cooperation,
Members of the Board of People’s Books Co-op:
Jim Draeger
Suzy Orth
John Revord
Jenny Vann
Dennis Casper
People’s Books Cooperative
2122 E. Locust St.
Milwaukee, WI 53211
Phone/fax: 414–962–0575
Hours: 10am-6pm Mon-Sat.
Website: www.peoplesbookscoop.org
Emails: info@peoplesbookscoop.org,
textbooks@peoplesbookscoop.org,
onlinebooks@peoplesbookscoop.org