Take a few minutes out of your busy month to appreciate independent media in print. As much as we Portland peeps dig our Powell's and our InterWebs, we owe a lot to the independent media revolution. And hey, kids, it started in print, not online.
Nice thing about print? T
o go buy it, you have to go to interesting spaces and browse around with lovely people. Absolutely no better place to do it than Reading Frenzy, which Chloe Eudaly started as a tiny portion of a tiny spot on SE 37th off of Hawthorne back in the mid 1990s. I was a big fan. And for a while, Toney Bento was in the same space, wafting chicken smells all over the books. (The space is now Buffalo Exchange and the little charity shop next door.)
When Reading Frenzy moved downtown, they activated the triangle block on Oak, across Burnside from Powell's. You know the block: Thai food, Rocco's Pizza, mini-bike sculpture-pile, IPRC (Independent Publishing Resource Center), CounterMedia for vintage naughtiness, and the favourite deviled egg dealer in Bumptown, Crowsenberg's Half and Half. And RF are having some trouble financially.
So get on out there and support! Go to the shop even only to get one of those awesome "SHUT UP AND READ" buttons. A letter from Chloe follows. And doesn't 2GQ book artist/production manager Clare Carpenter look fabulous in this photo, browsing at Reading Frenzy? --Tiffany
"Dear Readers,
We're rounding the corner on our 13th year, and while I'm not particularly superstitious, it does seem to be adding up to a rather unlucky phase in our long, illustrious history. A series of unfortunate events, both business and personal, have brought us to a critical juncture and we need your support to see us through.
As a faithful reader, I'm sure you appreciate Reading Frenzy and what we offer to our community of readers and publishers: a rare outlet for independent and alternative media, a hub of local literary activity, and a cozy space for art and literary events. Internationally recognized for our devotion to the small press and zines in particular, we've even inspired others to follow suit and open shops in their own towns.
Reading Frenzy is as much a community resource as it is a business, and as such has always depended on the generosity of volunteer staff, a team of supportive professionals who help us for free or cheap, and the occasional fundraiser. We have a couple bigger events in the works, but in the meantime here's how you can help break the spell:
Go on a Reading Frenzy shopping spree! If all 1000 of you spent $20 it would guarantee at least another year of business. Can't find what you want now? Buy yourself (and a few of your friends) gift certificates!
Buy a Co-Frenzy membership for $100 -- you receive a 10% discount for one year, plus a signed/numbered Reading Frenzy/Spiral Bound print by Aaron Renier!
Have a bright idea for a fundraiser? Bring it on! We're thinking rock show, spaghetti feed, and book sale -- but not at the same time!
Thanks so much for your continued support!
Your Faithful Proprietress,
Chloe"
