Crowdfunder to save Common Press queer bookshop and educational space

Three years after launching, Common Press bookshop must become financially sustainable to save this rare thing: a queer sober space.

Bethnal Green’s queer bookshop and cafe Common Press is launching a fundraiser to save the space after losing funding this year. 

Common Press’ opening in 2021 was initially made possible by an ally who donated the use of the then-vacant building to create three queer spaces, the Common Press, its basement event space The Commons, and a cocktail bar next door. Together these venues were known as the Glass House. 

The bar space has since been reclaimed by the owner, who plans to open a restaurant soon. A recent change in the owner’s circumstances means that the Common Press will need to start paying rent. 

After three years rent-free, Common Press will need to entirely change its business model in this next chapter. Although the prospect is daunting, Shaibu-Lenoir said the community response has already been fantastic, with multi-talented volunteers stepping up to help plan the next steps.  

The shop is known for late opening hours, cosy corners to read in and carefully curated books. Online, the announcement that the Common Press is currently unfunded was widely circulated, with more than 3,300 likes on Instagram. Hopefully, the response shows that there is both a need for the space and the support to keep it afloat. 

According to the BBC, London has lost more than half its queer venues since the early 2000s, mostly to the cost of living crisis and high rents. Against the tide, the Common Press opened post-pandemic in 2021.

Common Press has transitioned into a community interest company (CIC) as part of its new business model. This means its business aims will be defined by delivering social benefits instead of profit to shareholders, which could improve access to grants and other kinds of financing. 

A crowdfunding campaign to keep the lights on is being launched in the meantime, coupled with a sign-up process for volunteers or investors who want to help in the longer term. 

Additionally their new ‘Friends with Benefits,’ subscription model delivers hand-picked books to supporters monthly (alongside other perks), and will also make the income stream more predictable. 

It’s easy to see why the shop is popular – big glass windows give the space air and light, while carefully placed tables, knowledgeable staff and delicious hot drinks make it easy to stay and while away an afternoon reading. 

Of course, the main pull is the books. The variety is expansive – popular fiction sits alongside niche experimental zines, queer parenting manuals, erotic literature, poetry, guides to polyamory and more.

‘If you’re trying to define what a queer person is, the bookshop tries to answer that,’ Aisha Shaibu-Lenoir, one of the Common Press’ founders and managers says. 

The shop focuses on intersectionality, is curated by a wide variety of people and is willing to give small publishers a chance. It means that you are unlikely to find similarly stocked shelves, even in other queer bookshops.

If queer spaces are getting hard to come by in London, then queer sober spaces are even rarer. ‘Nightlife will always play a crucial role in our queer culture, but it’s about providing other options,’ Shaibu-Lenoir says. 

A sober space like the Common Press is especially important for younger queer people, who otherwise have fewer options for exploring their identity. Whether just relaxing on the couches or browsing books, young people can be queer without the pressures or barriers of nightlife. 

In Bethnal Green, the Common Press also creates an accessible touchpoint for those outside the queer community and challenges preconceptions. ‘Having this space that isn’t run by just white people highlights the fact that there are different types of queer people that exist,’ Shaibu-Lenoir says. 

Outside of operating as a bookshop, the Common Press also serves as an educational space. It often hosts events and meet-ups for topics that are hard to research solo, such as what it is like to transition, neurodivergence in the queer community, or queer parenting. Events are live-streamed, meaning their reach can extend outside of London.

The Common Press made the most out of an opportunity to create a space like no other. In its three years, it has provided invaluable resources to the community in Bethnal Green and across the UK, and especially to young queer people. Now, it will rely on the support of that same community to transform into something new.