A queer-owned, woman-owned bookstore in Somerville that works to create a safe space for the queer community is starting a new beginning after it evaded being displaced, thanks to the generosity of others.
All She Wrote Books has garnered attention from GBH, The Boston Globe, Oprah Daily and thousands on social media who’ve liked and shared photos of the owner’s 22-pound corgi named Ruby.
But Christina Pascucci-Ciampa told MassLive Monday that her store’s reputation has truly been built off a “snowball effect” through customers’ word-of-mouth.
“Many of my customers were coming to me because they were referrals,” Pascucci-Ciampa said, adding that people have specifically come to her store while visiting the area.
“That just speaks so many volumes,” she said. “That we’re on that list of places you must visit while here.”
So, it came as no surprise when the store launched a fundraiser seeking $60,000 to relocate, people dug into their pockets to help All She Wrote Books find a new home.
“I think the beautiful thing that came out of it is so many other people know that we exist,” Pascucci-Ciampa said. “That to me is like, just demonstrates just how powerful our space is.”
Pascucci-Ciampa had long felt unrepresented in books. As a queer woman and domestic abuse survivor, the Middleton native sought stories that she could relate to, but often found they got less shelf space and were shortchanged by publishers and book reviewers.
Ruby at the old location of All She Wrote BooksChristina Pascucci-Ciampa
Pascucci-Ciampa recalled a time when New Words in Cambridge was the only place the avid reader could find those books, until the store closed in the early 2000s.
Leaving her marketing career behind, Pascucci-Ciampa decided to open her own bookstore in the area she moved to about 14 years ago. Pascucci-Ciampa wanted her business to not only feature more LGBTQ literature but create a safe space for “all different types of queers.”
“We think of these shelves and there’s so many books out there, but imagine like trying to dig for that one that like speaks to you,” the owner explained. “I think in a lot of other places, that doesn’t always happen.”
All She Wrote Books started in 2019 as a pop-up that appeared in other local businesses around Somerville. In July 2020, All She Wrote Books opened its first brick-and-mortar location at Assembly Row where the store cultivated a community of readers from all walks of life.
“People were showing up. People that wouldn’t otherwise go to Assembly were coming,” Pascucci-Ciampa said talking about how the store was a safe space – both physically and socially – during the pandemic.
“I think a lot of our community really wanted spaces like that, aside from just going to the grocery store and maybe Target,” she continued. “That’s, to me, what made us kind of special and unique.”
All She Wrote Books was at Assembly Row for three years until astronomically high rent increases and other unexpected costs made it no longer viable for the store to stay, she said.
All She Wrote Books in Somerville relocated to its new location on Oct. 15, and owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa is still putting together the final touches on the space.David Cifarelli
Pascucci-Ciampa said the store’s rent went up by 130% over two years. In addition, she had to spend about $8,000 on HVAC issues, flooding repair and more in addition to rent.
“It’s clear to us that staying in Assembly is untenable for our small business — one of two local-owned shops on the Row,” the fundraiser read. “It’s time for us to grow in a new space, one that aligns with our values and will allow us to flourish without fear of displacement.”
Thanks to the fundraiser, which has surpassed its goal since it was launched in September, All She Wrote Books moved into its new home on at 75 Washington St. in East Somerville on Oct. 15. Pascucci-Ciampa said the new location will give the store an opportunity to truly thrive.
“East Somerville spoke to us in a way that was like, this is a new chapter,” she said. “This is a new opportunity that would allow for us to grow and flourish in the way that we need.”
While the money from the fundraiser initially went toward moving expenses, paying staff, buying new furniture, Pascucci-Ciampa said the rest of the funds will help them keep offering their free community events, hire more staff and create an emergency fund.
However, switching from a 1,500-square-foot space to an 800 one has had its challenges. For starters, Pascucci-Ciampa had to reimagine how to get books in people’s hands, which in the new space is being done with more face-outs than in the previous space. Pascucci-Ciampa also said she must be more selective with how many books go out on the floor and more intentional when replenishing her stock.
“We’re still curating the same types of books, the same types of topics, the same types of like genres,” she said. “It’s just mostly being about, ‘OK maybe we can’t have like 10 copies of that particular book, maybe it’s only five and we have three up here.’”
Pascucci-Ciampa said that despite these space issues, she can still order books for customers who don’t find them on the shelves. That said, in the digital age of Amazon, e-books and audiobooks, All She Wrote Books stays relevant through community involvement.
The bookstore has a program that allows shoppers to sponsor a free book for someone else called the “Gay it Forward” program. The program lets customers buy a store gift card that is given to someone who can’t afford a purchase. The purpose is to ensure everyone walks out with something.
All She Wrote Books also donates curated book bundles and gift cards to The Network/La Red and RESPOND Inc., two organizations that work to end domestic abuse.
Additionally, All She Wrote Books sponsors a free library at Connexion United Methodist Church in East Somerville, which distributed more than 300 books last year. The store also collaborates with the Somerville Public Library on events like open mic nights, hosts author talks and monthly drag story hours.
It is all part of the store’s mission to provide real connections among customers, which Pascucci-Ciampa said helps her business stay relevant especially in the digital age.
“We exist because of that human connection and the ability to connect with people, but also for people to feel heard and seen,” she said. “You can’t beat that. You can’t get that in the form of like shopping on Amazon. You just don’t.”
People have already been calling the store, messaging them on Instagram and stopping by to find out when All She Wrote Books will reopen. Pascucci-Ciampa senses the initial buzz from the neighborhood will make for an exciting new chapter for herself, her business and, of course, Ruby.
People can meet Ruby and check out the new All She Wrote Books when the store officially opens at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10.
Ruby (left) and Christina Pascucci-Ciampa (right) at the old location of All She Wrote BooksChristina Pascucci-Ciampa
