Silver Moon Bookshop

Initial funding for the Silver Moon Bookshop was supplied by the Greater London Council (GLC). Before the GLC was disbanded in 1986, it delivered grants to many feminist organizations{{Cite journal |last=Careless |first=Eleanor |date=2022-07-03 |title=Mapping Feminist Book Fortnight: Regional Activism and the Feminist Book Trade in 1980s Britain |journal=Women: A Cultural Review |language=en |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=280–313 |doi=10.1080/09574042.2022.2139055 |s2cid=254593064 |issn=0957-4042|url=https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/50755/8/Mapping%20Feminist%20Book%20Fortnight%20Regional%20Activism%20and%20the%20Feminist%20Book%20Trade%20in%201980s%20Britain.pdf }} and independent bookshops. The GLC was committed to eliminating barriers that prevented minority communities from accessing art and entering creative industries. This mission aligned with Silver Moon Bookshop, whose objective was to provide public access to literature written by marginalized women.

In addition to the GLC grant, Silver Moon Bookshop primarily obtained funding through family and friend donations, as well as bank loans. Many of the store’s applications for grant-providing organizations – such as the Westminster City Council – were denied for not meeting proper criteria. In total, Silver Moon Bookshop was able to raise €47,214 prior to opening, in order to fund store renovations and stock purchasing costs.

The GLC assisted in procuring the address 68 Charing Cross Road, a prime location on the well-established booktrading street in Central London. Because Cholmeley wanted to make women's writing more visible, she "didn't want to open in sort of an outer borough, [she] wanted to say, you know '51% of the population –We're here, we're good and we absolutely deserve to be in the center of things{{'"}}.{{Cite web |date=2016-08-18 |title=Jane Cholmeley |url=https://www.speakoutlondon.org.uk/oral-histories/jane-cholmeley |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=Speak Out London |language=en}}

In May 1984, Silver Moon Bookshop officially opened for public booktrading. Its name derived from the two symbols of womanhood in a poem by Sappho.

Almost all of the books available for purchase at the Silver Moon Bookshop were written by women.{{Cite book |last=Goodings |first=Lennie |author-link=Lennie Goodings|title=A Bite of The Apple: A Life with Books, Writers, and Virago |date=11 November 2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780198828747 |location=England |pages=139}} Authors whose work was featured included Barbara Wilson, Ellen Hart, Claire McNab, Katherine V. Forrest, and Val McDermid. Non-fiction books written by male authors were included if they discussed the history of real women. Silver Moon Bookshop had prominent representation of female authors of color. Books that described the Lesbian and Black female experience were featured on the main shelves, rather than demoted to less visible sections of the store. Teachers and librarians utilized Silver Moon Bookshop as a book supplier and feminist resource, which increased public accessibility of diverse literature.

Silver Moon Bookshop was dedicated to providing ethical compensation and benefits to store employees. The owners opposed capitalist hierarchies that fostered a culture of power imbalance. However, Silver Moon Bookshop's short-lived use of job rotation as a feminist collective practice led to inefficient decision-making and miscommunication with customers.{{Cite book |last=Murray |first=Simone |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt184qpx0 |title=Mixed Media: Feminist Presses and Publishing Politics |date=2004 |publisher=Pluto Press |isbn=978-0-7453-2015-1 |doi=10.2307/j.ctt184qpx0|jstor=j.ctt184qpx0 }} Eventually, Silver Moon Bookshop established a "dual structure" model, which was a modified hierarchy system that still guaranteed all employees a voice in everyday shop functions. Additionally, the owners facilitated monthly staff meetings to discuss important business decisions, as well as quarterly staff social events. Promoting respect in the workplace without sacrificing business performance allowed Silver Moon Bookshop to operate longer than other feminist bookstores.

Silver Moon Bookshop frequently hosted visits from female authors, including Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker, Paule Marshall, Barbara Wilson, Jeanette Winterson, and Sandi Toksvig.{{Cite web |title=JaneCholmeley |url=https://www.thebksagency.com/janecholmeley |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=The bks Agency |language=en-US}} One noteworthy event was a book signing by Maya Angelou, which generated a large group of visitors that lined the outside of the store. Additional programming included creative writing classes and feminist literature discussion groups.

Silver Moon Bookshop served as a hub for feminist information-sharing and activism. Women's political organizations and writing collectives promoted their groups on the store noticeboard and distributed handouts advertising upcoming events. Additionally, free copies of gay and lesbian newspapers were provided to customers by the store noticeboard, such as the Pink Paper. Silver Moon Bookshop donated to intersectional feminist organizations such as Feminist Audiobooks, which worked to increase literary accessibility for women with hearing impairments.{{Cite journal |last=Jolly |first=Margaretta |date=2021-10-02 |title=Purpose, Power and Profit in Feminist Publishing: An Introduction |journal=Women: A Cultural Review |language=en |volume=32 |issue=3–4 |pages=227–247 |doi=10.1080/09574042.2021.1973698 |issn=0957-4042|doi-access=free |url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Purpose_power_and_profit_in_feminist_publishing_an_introduction/23483576/2/files/41216877.pdf }} Employees provided support to female clientele experiencing abuse by directing them to nearby women's centres and suggesting books written to help sexual violence victims.{{Cite web |title=The triumphant return of the feminist bookshop |url=https://www.stylist.co.uk/books/feminist-bookshops-uk-london-second-shelf-history/255823|first=

Moya|last=Crockett|date=3 March 2019|access-date=2023-12-01 |website=www.stylist.co.uk}} Due to Silver Moon Bookshop's commitment to uplifting women in the community, Cholmeley explained that "sometimes [she] felt more like a social worker than a bookseller".

In May 1984, the Silver Moon Café was established in the basement of the Silver Moon Bookshop. Almost all of the menu items sold at the café were produced or sourced by women. Café membership was exclusively offered to female patrons, in order to curate a designated safe place for women to convene together. The café eventually evolved to become a central gathering point for the local lesbian community.

Silver Moon Café experienced criticism for solely offering women membership. When Cholmeley applied to the City of Westminster for an alcohol licence, the café was turned down because there was not a male toilet provided in the female-only establishment.{{Cite web |last=Delap |first=Lucy |date=2016-05-17 |title=Bookselling and the feminist past |url=https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/feminism/bookselling-and-the-feminist-past/ |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=History Workshop |language=en-US}} Additionally, Cholmeley noted that female customers treated her with respect in the bookshop, but would treat her like "wallpaper" when she took shifts working in the café in a foodservice role. The café was eventually shut down after 18 months of operation.

In 1990, Cholmeley and Butterworth established an associated publishing business, Silver Moon Books.Redclift and Sinclair (1991), pp. 219-238. Silver Moon Books primarily publishes lesbian mystery and romance novels. The mission of Silver Moon Books is to promote intersectional feminist literature and diversify the male-dominated publishing world.{{Cite book |last=Riley |first=Catherine |title=The Virago story: assessing the impact of a feminist publishing phenomenon |publisher=Berghahn |year=2018 |isbn=978-1785338083 |location=New York |pages=73}} Books published include the lesbian romance novel Under the Southern Cross by Claire McNab in 1992, the anthology Diving Deep: Erotic Lesbian Love Stories by Katherine V. Forrest and Barbara Grier in 1993, and the lesbian detective novel First Impressions by Kate Calloway in 1996. The most recent book published by Silver Moon Books was in 2021.

The Silver Moon Quarterly (SMQ) was a recurring newsletter established by Butterworth.{{Cite news |date=4 August 2004 |title=Sue Butterworth: Book trade activist and co-founder of Silver Moon |pages=23 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/753188378/?clipping_id=102806502&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjc1MzE4ODM3OCwiaWF0IjoxNzAwMTA1ODYwLCJleHAiOjE3MDAxOTIyNjB9.IwZqVOpmepBxgqXgBG_jQsQcfAvgwxHU2R86IR9bnmk |access-date=15 November 2023}} The newsletter promoted recent lesbian book releases through literary reviews and recommendations. Additionally, the SMQ publicized future shop programming, such as author signings.{{Cite journal |last=Anderson |first=Shelley |date=30 April 1996 |title=Traveler's Guide: Silver Moon Women's Bookshop, London |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/218152581 |journal=The Lesbian Review of Books |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=26 |id={{ProQuest|218152581}} |via=ProQuest}} Butterworth and Cholmeley found that advertisement from the SMQ played a significant role in elevating business and heightening global visibility of feminist literature.

While there were high production and delivery costs, Cholmeley believed that the Silver Moon Quarterly was a worthwhile investment because "there [were] millions of women who [did] not have access to women's writing, and this [was] a means of reaching them".

During April 1996, there were at least 6,000 people who had signed up to receive the publication. The SMQ gained an international audience, as one-quarter of the subscribers lived outside of Britain.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Silver Moon Bookshop, the publication By the Light of the Silvery Moon was released in 1994. Honouring Silver Moon Bookshop's promotion of LGBTQ+ women's voices, the publication's 15 short stories included themes of feminism and lesbianism. Authors featured included Lisa Tuttle, Ellen Galford, Lisa Alther, Liza Cody, Merle Collins, Zoë Fairbairns, Sara Maitland, Ellen Galford, Elizabeth Jolley, Shena Mackay, Suniti Namjoshi, Hanan al-Shaykh and Sarah Schulman.{{Cite web |title=silver moon bookshop |url=https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/tag/silver-moon-bookshop/ |date=13 January 2015|access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings |language=en}} The short stories were edited by Ruth Petrie.{{Cite journal |last=Scott |first=Whitney |date=1 December 1994 |title=By the Light of the Silvery Moon: Short Stories to Celebrate the 10th Birthday of Silver Moon Women's Bookshop. |journal=Booklist |volume=91 |issue=7 |pages=654 |via=Gale Academic Onefile}}

On 29 February 2024, Harper Collins published Jane Cholmeley's book about Silver Moon's story A Bookshop of One's Own, subtitled: "How a group of women set out to change the world".{{Cite book |last=Cholmeley |first=Jane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8mcD0AEACAAJ&q=editions:ISBN0008651043 |title=A Bookshop of One's Own: How a Group of Women Set Out to Change the World |date=2024-02-29 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited |isbn=978-0-00-865104-6 |language=en}} This was reviewed in the TLS by Libby Purves, who said: "Cholmeley is an energizing riot, full of humour and grit, and her story is well worth telling."{{Cite web |title=Idealism and hard cash: The story of the Silver Moon Women's Bookshop |url=https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/a-bookshop-of-ones-own-jane-cholmeley-book-review-libby-purves/ |first=Libby|last=Purves|date=1 March 2024|access-date=2024-04-05 |website=TLS |language=en-GB}} The review of A Bookshop of One's Own by Zoe Fairbairns on the Fawcett Society website concluded: "Part-memoir, part manifesto, part how-to guide, part how-not-to guide, it is available from all good bookshops."{{cite web|url=https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/blog/a-bookshop-of-ones-own-zoe-fairbairns|title=A Bookshop of One's Own|first=Zoe|last=Fairbairns|website=Fawcett Society|date=15 March 2024|access-date=23 April 2025}}

Silver Moon Bookshop experienced backlash from people who opposed feminist, lesbian-identified spaces. Cholmeley explained how hostility toward the shop was motivated by misogyny, as she received "threats from extremists who threatened to firebomb [them] because [they] should 'go back to the kitchen{{'"}}.{{Cite web |title=Jane Cholmeley |url=https://www.womeninpublishinghistory.org.uk/content/category/interviewees/jane-cholmeley |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=Women in Publishing: An Oral History |language=en}} In addition to arson threats, the shop fell victim to hate-mail, people pulling out weapons, and male tourists flashing female customers. On several occasions, the police needed to be called by the shop.

Silver Moon Bookshop experienced book raids, alongside LGBTQ+ bookstores Gay's the Word and Lavender Menace Bookshop. Additionally, Section 28 of the Local Government Bill was passed in May 1988, which prohibited publishing literature that contained themes of homosexuality. Cholmeley opposed this legislation, believing it was discriminatory toward the LGBTQ+ community and forcibly silenced lesbian authors. Associated with the outcome of Section 28, the store received lesbian book deliveries from America that were tampered and delayed by customs.{{Cite journal |last=Anderson |first=Shelley |date=1989 |title=British Women's Presses |journal=Belles Lettres |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=1 |via=GenderWatch}}

Silver Moon Bookshop closed on 18 November 2001,{{Cite magazine |last=Lewis |first=Richard |date=12 October 2001 |title=Tide turns for Silver Moon |pages=9 |magazine=The Bookseller}} as Europe's largest women's bookstore.{{Cite magazine |date=23 November 2001 |title=Silver Moon lives on |pages=7 |magazine=The Bookseller}} The bookshop closed due to rising rents from the Soho Housing Association{{Cite book |last1=Tutchell |first1=Eva |title=The Stalled Revolution : Is Equality for Women an Impossible Dream? |last2=Edmonds |first2=John |publisher=Emerald Publishing Limited |year=2017 |isbn=9781787146020 |edition=1 |pages=78}} and waning numbers of tourists. Additionally, large-chain bookstores opened near Charing Cross Road that could afford to discount their books. Silver Moon Bookshop struggled to maintain competitive rates compared to these commercial enterprises.

In 2001, Silver Moon Bookshop was incorporated into Foyles, a UK bookstore chain. Foyles established a "Silver Moon at Foyles" department, which specifically promoted female authors and feminist literature. Butterworth expressed warmth toward the acquisition and held high hopes for the future of the Silver Moon brand under Foyle's direction. The Silver Moon at Foyles department closed in 2004.{{cite book |last=Osborne |first=Susan |title=The Good Web Guide for Book Lovers |publisher=The Good Web Guide Ltd |year=2003 |isbn=1-903282-42-X |page=17}}

• Independent bookstore
• Gay's the Word (bookshop)
• Sisterwrite

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book | title=Working Women: International Perspectives on Labour and Gender Ideology | url=https://archive.org/details/workingwomen00nred | url-access=registration | first1=Nanneke | last1=Redclift | first2=M. Thea | last2=Sinclair | publisher=Routledge | year=1991 | isbn=0-203-97593-6 }}

{{Bookshops in London}}

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Category:Bookshops in London

Category:Bookstores established in the 20th century

Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster

Category:Feminism in England

Category:Feminist bookstores

Category:Feminist organisations in the United Kingdom

Category:Independent bookshops of the United Kingdom

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Category:Retail companies established in 1984

Category:Women in London