By Sarah Rose
Wooden Shoe Books is a relatively small store. It’s a one floor bookstore that sells music, books, patches, t-shirts, zines, magazines, patches, and pins. The first time I went into the store, I remember thinking that I thought it would be bigger. I had done research on Philly for months prior to moving, and I knew that the Shoe was my best bet for picking up new zines (and distributing my own locally). I signed up to be a volunteer, but some things came up with school and work, and I got distracted.
Between then and the day I actually did start staffing, I started another volunteer position, two small businesses, a job, and a relationship. Shit comes up, you know?
When I started staffing, I was pretty intimidated. Everyone seemed a lot cooler than my country self. Vegans, anarchists, bike punks, crusties, academics, heavily tattooed hipsters … everyone seemed much more confident about themselves, their politics, and their place in Philadelphia. Between staffing and helping to organize Philly Zine Fest, I got to know several people who overlapped between those communities, and made several friends.
And how has staffing at the Shoe changed my life? Am I a vegan anarchist? No. But I am more political. And I am more comfortable talking about things like conflict-resolution, building community, and various forms of radical activism. I’m much more receptive to hear about someone else’s ideas without doing so through the cloudy lens of my own experience. I’m much more confident in my ability to get things done, and in very real ways, that positively affects the communities to which I belong.
I’m more comfortable saying that I don’t know about a particular theory, form of activism, or political prisoner. Where the Shoe is concerned, I’m still just a volunteer, and a relatively new one. So, I’m learning. I’m exploring new political and religious theories, and I’m thinking a lot about how my history and socioeconomic status affects the way I take in new experiences. Maybe that’s the most that an infoshop can do for anyone: provide an environment that makes change less scary, and foster a community that embraces and celebrates our differences.