Eugene Weekly : News : 03.23.06

Word to Your Mother

Eugene's feminist bookstore lives again.

BY VANESSA SALVIA

Mother Kali's Books has a long history, and now that they've settled into a new retail space after a four-month closure, hopefully a long future ahead as well. It was 1975 when three women with more dreams than money opened Eugene's first and only feminist bookstore. In 1978 Annie "Izzie" Harbaugh and a different set of women managed the collective, then located on Blair Boulevard. Harbaugh convinced a single professor in the UO's Women's and Gender Studies Program to order the class's textbooks through her. When the books came, Harbaugh, in her 60s then, pushed a cart laden with the books from Blair to the classroom on campus. Selling textbooks "became a very big part of the store's income," explained store manager Karen Luna. "That is really what kept feminist bookstores alive around the country: their relationship with their campus women's studies program."

Mother Kali's Employee Molly Kendrick

Harbaugh became the heart and soul of the bookstore until her death in 1999, helping keep the store afloat through difficult times with her passion, energy and sometimes her own money. After experiencing a stroke while gardening, Harbaugh received care at Sacred Heart Medical Center, right across the street from the bookstore's East 13th Avenue location. She loved the store so much that, when she felt her end was near, she asked to be taken to Mother Kali's, where she died on a sofa.

It was that cherished connection to Harbaugh and the store's long association with the UO that made moving the store such a hard decision. But Luna says the new location in the Meridian Building at 1849 Willamette is a good fit. Recently, the remodeled space now occupied by Mother Kali's housed offices, but Meridian management had always intended for it to be retail space. "When Mother Kali's had the need for a space, I think they accelerated their plans a little bit," Luna said.

Luna points out that within the past year, the feminist bookstores in both Los Angeles and San Francisco have given up the ghost, so Eugeneans can be especially proud they have continued to support one all these years, even during stressful times of financial need and change for the bookstore. "There's certainly been a lot of flux, and the flux began when Izzie passed away," said Luna. "For well over 20 years she held that store together."

Harbaugh's passing coincided with major changes in the economic landscape for independent bookstores, including competition from corporate stores and Internet sales. Also, the "second wave" feminists have gotten older, and may not be as actively pursuing feminist agendas, while at the same time, the younger third wave feminists don't have the buying power, or may be concentrating their efforts on other issues. "I go to great lengths to find the most interesting, hard to find, importantly feminist books, and put them on display, and we have an event, and the old guard comes, and they don't buy them," said Luna. "It's an interesting transitional period."

Luna knew the store had to change their methods in order to not be another name on the long list of closed independent bookstores. They have embraced providing metaphysical, women's spirituality and goddess-centered books and products, and continue to sell books and items related to politics, activism and feminist philosophy and many LGBTQ Pride items, such as rainbow flags.

Along with the newly opened Q Center at 1309 Lincoln St., Mother Kali's seeks to be a safe haven for the gay, lesbian and transgender community. The bookstore has also opened their doors to a variety of community groups who have no other space for meetings. A local Buddhist group meets there, as does the gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Church, the philanthropic group Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire, and a group that provides care animals for differently-abled people.

On Friday, March 24th at 7 pm, Lee Lynch, author of Old Dyke Tales and The Swashbuckler, will read from her new book, capping the store's month-long re-opening celebration. Popular ongoing events include Mother Kali's Rhythm Circle with Annie O'Shea, Sound Healing with Auriel Loux and Earth Magick beginning again in April. To inquire about new events, classes and workshops or to receive the WCC/Women's Community Calendar, e-mail info@motherkalis.com or visit www.motherkalis.com and go to this week's Calendar.