By H.M. Cauley

For the AJC

In this era of big-box bookstores, it’s easy to list Atlanta’s independent sellers on one hand.

For 35 years, Charis Books in the Little Five Points community has ridden a roller coaster of popularity. Its owners have persevered, and Charis is one of only a few feminist bookstores in the country.

Co-founder Linda Bryant didn’t think that far ahead in 1974. At the time, she and business partner Barbara Borgman, who now lives overseas, opened in a building on Moreland Avenue, near Charis’ current location — a lavender-hued cottage at 1189 Euclid Ave.

“I was 26, and I wanted to do something different,” said Bryant. “I was a schoolteacher for a minute and was frustrated with the system, but I still loved literature, books and bookstores. I felt a calling to make books available, and this came to me as a wonderful way to serve others.”

But Bryant and her staff didn’t start out to fill a feminist niche in the city.

“We didn’t know there was such a thing,” said Bryant with a laugh. “All we knew was that it was time to do something that celebrated women’s work.”

The shop’s name derives from the Greek root that creates “charisma,” which isn’t limited to women’s literature. Along with works by women, the shelves are stocked with titles that delve into spirituality, faith, psychology, politics, romance and more.

“We are a specialty store, but we also have all the categories you see in a mainstream store — it’s just through a broad, feminist lens,” said Charis co-owner Sara Luce Look. “We have a breadth and variety of multicultural children’s books. All kinds of cultures are represented here that you won’t see featured in other places. We have literary fiction, light romances, mysteries and lesbian, bisexual and transgender titles as well. In fact, our best-sellers are lesbian romances, followed by children’s literature, the latest political books and spirituality titles. And we’re selling a lot of cookbooks; the whole local food movement has renewed interest in sustainability and ecology.”

Look first discovered Charis in 1988, when she piled into a van with fellow Emory women’s studies students and took off on a bookstore field trip. She started working there in 1994 and a few years later, became a co-owner.

“In 1994, there were more than 120 feminist bookstores in the country,” said Look. “Now, there are about 15 left.

“We have struggled. Four years ago, it got even worse. But I was fortunate to find a new co-owner, Angela Gabriel, a preschool teacher in Decatur, and we’re still here.”

The 1,200-square-foot shop is jammed with crowded bookcases and shelves. The hardwood floors creak beneath the weight of patrons who pile in for readings, workshops, discussion groups and author appearances. Over the years, the store has hosted notable writers such as Alice Walker, Octavia Butler, Pearle Cleage and Eve Ensler.

In 1996, Bryant stepped out of her ownership role and started the Charis Circle, a nonprofit that supports the store’s events. “We had programs for about 20 years before we began the Circle,” she said. “It was always part of our desire to bring conversation and transformation and to engage new voices.”

Bryant continues to work in the bookstore part-time. At 61, she’s devoting more time to her partner, son and grandchild.

“But I’ll probably work in the bookstore the rest of my life,” she said. “It’s still a way to bring change and hope to the world and to serve the community.”

“Milestones” covers significant events and times in the lives of metro Atlantans. Big or small, well-known or not, tell us of a milestone we should write about. Send information to hm_cauley@yahoo.com or mail to Milestones, c/o Jamila Robinson, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303.