BOLD Coffee & Books will open in October at 1755 SW Jefferson St. in Portland, Ore., featuring coffee from Great North Coffee and books by and about people from marginalized communities. There will also be an event space for book launches and readings, writing classes, and creative contests.
Co-owners Ali and Tim Shaw have secured a business loan to help cover leasing of the space, buying equipment and furniture, and seeding inventory. In addition, a $10,000 Kickstarter campaign has been launched "to transform the vision to real life," they said.
"Literature so often centers experiences of white, cisgendered, heterosexual, abled, middle-class characters from traditional family units," said Ali Shaw, who has 20 years of experience as a book editor and bookseller. "This creates a disservice not only to millions of readers who don't fit that mold and so don't get to see themselves represented in literature--leaving them feeling alone--but also to readers who do fit that mold and are led to believe that these are the only stories that matter."
Tim Shaw's career has been in social work and education, in circumstances where people who do not fit in the mainstream are marginalized. The Shaws said they have not only witnessed that kind of marginalization in their work, they are also fierce advocates for their three adopted children who experience racism, stereotyped assumptions, education exclusion, and denial of accommodations.
"We want to help change that," Tim Shaw said. "Support them, give them a voice, help them connect with their community and be seen."
BOLD Coffee & Books is dedicating a minimum of 80% of its inventory and calendar space to books by and about people from marginalized and underrepresented communities. Tim Shaw added, "We are here to support marginalized communities, whether in the form of books with representation, a safe place to meet or rest, or a great cup of coffee to give them energy for the good fight."