Stopped in at Bindlestiff Books on the 4500 block of Baltimore today. Is a really beautiful small space. They're still filling up the shelves; right now they're largely selling books that are new but not brand-new, stuff they got remaindered or at discount. Their brand-new orders are coming in during the next week to ten days, and it sounds like they'll be full then. They're seeking suggestions on genres and/or specific authors, so drop in and fill out a card.

Right now, the big shelfs are probably children, cookbooks, fiction, and history (a good deal of social/labor history and history of activism--otherwise there's not that much evidence of the IWW affiliation.) CDs next week or the week after, they said.

They're working on a space behind the store for meetings/readings.

Some really good books--picked up a couple of short story collections I'd been looking for, a Charles Portis reissue, and a couple of graphic novels. My partner picked up some beautiful children's books.

Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closed Mondays and Tuesdays (including this Monday and Tuesday.) They don't currently take credit cards but the wheels are in motion on that front.

Also, one of the staff said that she heard a knitting/yarn store is in the works (or at least in the serious planning stages) on Baltimore Ave. Anybody know anything about this?

[Edited for spelling of store. Thanks, etymon.]

This is great. I didn't know it was open yet. I'll definitely be in there. (It's "Bindlestiff," incidentally. It's in the new UCD visitors' guide.)

I'm a member of the philly IWW and semi-involved in the store. I might be working there a few times a week at least during the holiday season.

Yes, we're still shelving books, but we hope to be fully stocked by the end of the week.

We will be closed tomorrow and Tuesday for a couple additional renovations, including a bench top for the radiator in front, but will be back open on Wednesday noon to 7.

I hope nobody was disapointed by the limited selection on the shelf during our preview opening.

Cool! I'll stop by later this week to check it out.

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When life throws pies at you, make yourself a tall, cool glass of piemonade!

I was in Friday. Can't wait for their selection to expand. Seems as if it'll be a nice cozy place.

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I went to the territory to renew my supply of stories.

Elbow Room
----James Alan McPherson

I have not heard about a knitting store on Baltimore Ave. but we obviously sell some knitted items at MiaLou at 50th and Baltimore. Also we are talking about having knitting classes join the jewelry making and sewing classes we already have at the store starting in January. Also we have a limited supply of unsual yarns from the Czech Republic that may interest the odd hardcore knitter out there.

Boy do I have to update that webpage.

I can't wait to stop by Bindlestiff Books now that its open.

So is Bindlestiff some sort of IWW worker-owned business? What the connection between Bindlestiff and the IWW exactly?

The IWW general headquarters is about to move to Cinncinatti, but the Philly branch wants to keep the space as our office. In order to pay the rent, we decided to open a bookstore. It is a volunteer run store. I will be there tomorrow afternoon working on inventory, so feel free to drop by.