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Lately LGBTQ+ venues in London have been shutting down all over the place, with G-A-Y Late, The Glory and Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club all closing in the last year alone. As if that wasn’t bad enough, now another queer establishment is facing an uncertain future: east London bookshop, cafe and event space The Common Press.
There’s no need to fret just yet, though. The venue’s owners are fundraising to try and keep its doors open – and they need your support. Since hard-launching the Crowdfunder on social media last week, the bookshop has raised more than £18,000, but there’s still a long way to go to meet its £100,000 target.
The fundraiser is crucial to the continued existence of The Common Press. With previous investors no longer able to fund the venue, it desperately needs financial support from the community in order to survive. So, dig deep folks, because unless donations keep rolling in, the queerest bookshop in Shoreditch will soon be forced to shut down altogether.
Since opening in 2021, The Common Press has proven a welcome addition to the capital’s queer scene; a cosy and inclusive community space that’s refreshingly different to the warehouse raves and drag brunches that east London is famous for. It’s an establishment that is proudly intersectional, boasting a carefully curated selection of books written by LGBTQ+ authors, Black & POC writers, transgender creatives and other marginalised voices. It’s also a great place to get coffee. With oat milk, obviously.
The ‘Save The Common Press’ campaign was announced alongside plans for the venue’s next chapter.Providing fundraising goals are met, the bookshop will become a Community Interest Company (CIC), meaning any profits made can benefit the community instead of shareholders. As a CIC, the beloved bookshop could also access new grants and funding pots, making it more independent, more financially sustainable and (we hope) more likely to stick around.
You can contribute to The Common Press’s fundraiser here.
On top of that, there will also be a fundraising event in October to raise cash for the The Common Press. Named ‘The Rise and Fall of A Pop Girl Summer: A Night for The Common Press’, it’ll be a night of ‘music, dancing and solidarity’ with tunes from Paige Bea. It’ll be held at The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick, and 100 percent of the profits will go towards The Common Press’s fundraising campaign.
You can find out more and buy tickets to the event here.
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