Bluestockings Cooperative shutters after 26 years, igniting internal rifts on the Lower East Side

Bluestockings Cooperative, a Lower East Side bookstore known for its radical, inclusive programming, said it would permanently shut down after more than 26 years, citing unsustainable daily operations and governance tensions within the worker-owned collective. The Suffolk Street shop also functioned as a state-recognized Opiate Overdose Prevention Program, offering harm-reduction services such as Narcan, drug-testing strips and a used needle-drop bin, a policy that drew sharp criticism from neighbors who argued it enabled drug use.

In a Tuesday Instagram post, Bluestockings announced that the closure would be permanent, noting that daily operations are no longer sustainable on multiple fronts. "This was our absolute last resort. On top of our crew’s ongoing struggle against the organized abandonment of New York City and the constant crises, the remaining worker-owner and staff are at the limits of what they can manage in terms of health, disability, and finances," the statement read.

The shop attributed the closure to an inability to reach consensus around guiding principles and practices the cooperative should embody, adding that misalignment on political and business operations directly contributed to setbacks over the past two years. The rent for the storefront is roughly $12,000 a month, utilities run higher, and Bluestockings said it faced what it described as racist, classist violence from neighbors. Neighbors on the block described the area as a magnet for drug activity and violence, noting that a preschool sits nearby.

In recent years, Bluestockings accumulated debt to publishers and book distributors, with estimates around six figures. On Wednesday, reporters found no signs on the door announcing a closure, and a staff member who declined to comment directed inquiries to the store’s social-media statement. Despite the shutdown, Bluestockings said it would continue to fulfill book orders through 2025, and memberships would officially turn off on December 15. A GoFundMe campaign that had raised about $65,000 would stay active through the remainder of the year to help settle debts and compensate staff.

The closure has sparked an internal dispute among the cooperative’s workers. Several worker-owners took to the store’s closing announcement to claim they had not been consulted before they were fired from their gigs, describing the move as "violent" and racially charged. One staff member, Dheivanai, alleged that "the white folks on the lease who are former worker owners made this decision without consulting any of us." Fellow worker-owner Jay Gandhi said he and other staffers were not told about the closure ahead of time and were locked out of the store’s digital accounts, adding, "This was not a consensus. If you’re a cooperative and if you’re worker-owned, the people who were actually working had not contributed to this decision." Co-owner Raquel Espasande did not respond to requests for comment, but Gothamist reported that the transition was slowed by concerns about Bluestockings’ six-figure debt.

Neighbors celebrated the closure, hoping it would curb the drug activity that had become a defining feature of the block. One longtime resident said the store’s presence had turned the area into a perceived drug den, though Bluestockings insisted the shop aimed to serve the community through harm-reduction programs.

Even as the physical space shuts its doors, Bluestockings emphasized that the work would not vanish entirely. The cooperative described the closing as a harsh but necessary step, underscoring the broader pressures facing small, mission-driven bookstores in a city grappling with housing costs, municipal services, and social challenges. The organization remains committed to honoring its past work while navigating a difficult financial landscape, with operations continuing in limited fashion to honor orders and commitments while the cooperative reconfigures its structure.