We're trying something new in 2026 to help us (and you!) ditch Meta.

We know from personal experience that, paradoxically, logging off can make it hard to maintain IRL connections. So much grassroots activity only seems to get advertised on social media—and for spaces like Firestorm, there's a trap in thinking that Instagram is the best place to reach people, even when they live right down the street.

But there are alternatives... if we build them!

Follow us to a place without data harvesting, shadow bans, and right wing trolls. This week we're launching a new broadcast thread on the Signal app, specifically for events at Firestorm. Sign up and you'll get event announcements + a weekly roundup reminder (no memes, no side chatter—strictly event details!).

Since most of our events are in-person, this new thread will primarily be useful to locals. For more local community events, we also recommend the Asheville Radical Community Calendar (DuckDuckGo it! IYKYK)

#FeministBookstore #QueerSouth #FirestormCoop (- L)

Now that we're in the 2025 home stretch, our collective is shifting from retail hustle to reflection. This was a tough year, on lots of levels, but our public messaging has mostly focused on political concerns rather than the difficult financial position we've been in since Hurricane Helene.

Thanks to strong community support and a grant from the Southern Power Fund, our co-op started 2025 with what we thought was a generous buffer. But between Asheville's slow recovery and worsening conditions for low and middle income folks nationally, we're seeing sales far below those of previous years—and we've burned through our reserves trying to bridge the gap. Our collective is still analyzing the situation, but it's clear that the Q4 turnaround we'd hoped for did not materialize, and we're now headed into late winter on thin ice.

We value transparency, so this post is intended to be a heads up that our project is increasingly precarious. We'll share more information in January along with an outline of how we plan to address Firestorm's financial sustainability. In the meanwhile, we appreciate your continued support and hope that you'll keep us in mind when you're buying books! ❤️‍🔥

#FeministBookstore #HurricaneHelene #FirestormCoop

Now that we're in the 2025 home stretch, our collective is shifting from retail hustle to reflection. This was a tough year, on lots of levels, but our public messaging has mostly focused on political concerns rather than the difficult financial position we've been in since Hurricane Helene.

Thanks to strong community support and a grant from the Southern Power Fund, our co-op started 2025 with what we thought was a generous buffer. But between Asheville's slow recovery and worsening conditions for low and middle income folks nationally, we're seeing sales far below those of previous years—and we've burned through our reserves trying to bridge the gap. Our collective is still analyzing the situation, but it's clear that the Q4 turnaround we'd hoped for did not materialize, and we're now headed into late winter on thin ice.

We value transparency, so this post is intended to be a heads up that our project is increasingly precarious. We'll share more information in January along with an outline of how we plan to address Firestorm's financial sustainability. In the meanwhile, we appreciate your continued support and hope that you'll keep us in mind when you're buying books! ❤️‍🔥

#FeministBookstore #HurricaneHelene #FirestormCoop

Did you know that in addition to books our co-op stocks tabletop games? 🎲

Selected with an eye toward social movement themes and cooperative elements, these games are the perfect for adding excitement to an evening with housemates, family, or an affinity group! We've also recently added two awesome roleplaying games to our lineup: "Coyote & Crow," a game set in an alternate future where colonization of the Americas never occurred, and "The Defenders Almanac," a rules-light RPG from the creators of the hit game Defenders of the Wild, where forest creatures fight back against the machines.

Find tabletop games available for in-store pickup or eligible for free shipping at https://firestorm.coop/catalog/type/236-tabletop-games.html.

#TableTopGames #CooperativeGames #FeministBookstore (- L)

We've gathered together some of your very favorite craftspeople for a two day Holiday Craft Pop-Up. You're welcome!

We accept that you can't gift every person you love a book for every holiday, every single year (we work at a bookstore, believe us, we've tried). Switch it up with a macabre mug or a delightfully nerdy bauble made of dice!

Each day of the pop-up includes a unique group of artisans with a wide variety of mediums, styles, and flavors. The event is a Palestine solidarity fundraiser, with a portion of proceeds going towards the Gaza Soup Kitchen.

Join us on Saturday, December 13th to delight in the wares of Cardamom Bakery, Savim, & Friends, Earth to Hands, Fig Crochets , Miles Madonna, Ruckus Ceramics, The Crows' Teeth, The Dicey Dungeon, and WNC Mask Bloc, and Woodberry Designs.

Then on Sunday peruse treasures from Al's Stained Glass, Finn and the Whale, GasStationVampire, HK Hotteok, Lucin Zac, Luzida.Art, Matilda's Menagerie, Polycreative Collective, Shop.Tamango, Turned Worm Studios, and VII Ceramics.

We'll see you there! 🎨🧶🫖💎🍪🧣

#QueerBookstore #CoopsNotCops #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (-Esmé)

‼️ We're extending our Indies First sale through today! ‼️

You can come by today to snag 15% off all non-discounted inventory — this includes books, stickers, shirts, prints, and more! And when you're a Firestorm sustainer that stacks to a whole 25% off. If you were shopping for say, a major gift giving holiday... to name a random example... that 25% really goes a long way 😉

If you're not interested in braving the cold today you can always shop online with the promo code INDIESFIRST. We'll even throw in some free goodies like a sticker and a zine with your order 🫶

#OnHaywoodRd #FeministBookstore #IndiesFirst #SmallBusinessSaturday #FirestormCoop

Friends, comrades, book lovers, this Saturday our co-op is joining the retail pandemonium to offer you discounts on books! That's right, books made of paper, filled with delightful stories and subversive ideas. Skip the mall, skip the big box store, and DEFINITELY skip the Am🤮zon Surveillance Mega Corp, because our team is out here slinging 15-25% discounts on almost everything we stock! How do you get the biggest discounts? We're offering 25% off to members of our sustainers program! Sign up before you shop using the link in our bio.

Have a family member who doesn't love to read? Even flawed people deserve gifts! Give them stickers, t-shirts, board games, art prints, or other unique items from our catalog. If you're shopping in person, our collective is happy to provide bespoke recommendations to help you find exactly what you're looking for. We know that braving the crowds can be exhausting, so hot beverages are on the house!

Indies First savings aren't just for the geographically privileged. Shop online with the promo code INDIESFIRST for the same great deal (minus the hot beverage, sorry). We love it when people choose to support us over corporate shit-peddlers and we'll show you our appreciation with free stickers, postcards, or radical literature in every package. Plus shipping is always free on orders of $50 or more! 💓

#OnHaywoodRd #FeministBookstore #IndiesFirst #SmallBusinessSaturday #AnticapitalistCapitalism #FirestormCoop

Ditch the cranberry sauce and get ready for gore! In dishonor of the Thanksgiving holiday, we're hosting a horror movie double feature fundraiser. All proceeds will support Indigenous anarchist political prisoner Oso Blanco, currently serving 55 years related to bank expropriations in support of the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico in the late 90s.

Suggested donation $5-20. Learn more about Oso Blanco at https://freeosoblanco.org.

#AntiColonialFilm #FeministBookstore #OsoBlanco #NoThanksNoGiving #FirestormCoop (- L)

Black Friday, hold the capitalism! 🙅

This year we're bringing back our Black Friday Book Swap, a chill, community-based alternative to the consumer chaos of retail's busiest weekend. Bring books you loved but are willing to part with, and take home something new! There's no limit on the number of books you can bring or take, just be considerate. You're also welcome to hang out and read, but dress warmly since the swap will be taking place on our patio!

Can I join if I don't have any books to bring?
Yes! No worries if you don't have any books you want to bring this time. Firestorm staff will also contribute from our collective's personal beloved book stacks.

Where is the book swap happening?
Come to Firestorm's patio where there will be cute tents and also ✨ free ✨ hot apple cider! Beware, books inside the bookstore are NOT part of the swap and sadly still subject to Commerce. But the point is, you DON'T have to spend money at the book swap!

#QueerBookstore #CoopsNotCops #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- Esmé)

One week from today Firestorm will be hosting @MsKellyMHayes in conversation with organizer Ash Williams to discuss the launch of "Read this When Things Fall Apart," a new publication of letters to activists and organizers on the frontlines in catastrophic times.

“If you need an antidote to despair, this book is for you. It’s a repository of fortifying collective wisdom, a tonic for our troubled times. The letters Kelly Hayes has collected offer vital insights amid the darkness, shrewd strategic advice for aspiring change-makers, and a reminder none of us are in the fight alone.”—Astra Taylor, co-author of "Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea"

Register for this online event, and find your copy of "Read This When Things Fall Apart," at https://firestorm.coop/events/3487-read-this-when-things-fall-apart.html

#Activism #MovementMemos #KellyHayes #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

On Saturday the 15th, Firestorm will be hosting a virtual book launch with activist Yavor Tarinski, whose new primer "Horizons of Direct Democracy" is out this month from On Our Own Authority! Yavor will appear alongside notable social-ecologist contributors Eleanor Finley and Modibo Kadalie for this panel facilitated by fellow author and frequent Firestorm collaborator Andrew Zonneveld. Don't miss it! 🌱🏴

"Horizons of Direct Democracy" is a short and accessible volume surveying the political thought of philosophers like Cornelius Castoriadis and CLR James while also dissecting real-world examples of direct democracy in action from the Baltic, to Latin America, Western Asia, and beyond.

Register for free and find your copy of "Horizons" at https://firestorm.coop/events/3491-horizons-of-direct-democracy-book-launch.html. Not able to make the event live? Sign up anyway and we'll send you the event recording to soak up at your leisure!

#DirectDemocracy #Anarchism #SocialEcology #HorizonsOfDirectDemocracy #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

This Sunday, in collaboration with friends at Asheville for Justice, we're hosting an event on mutual aid and women's liberation! Come learn about Rojava, the revolutionary autonomous zone in Northern Syria. We'll be screening "Berxwedan Jiyaneand / Resistance is Life" and "I Am the Revolution," two films about Rojava, alongside a virtual Q&A with Ruken and Sultan of The Foundation of Free Women in Syria (Weqfa Jina Azad a Sûrî) and Savushka of Kongra Star.

We'll learn as we listen to stories of organized resistance, mutual aid, and solidarity without borders!

#RojavaRevolution #KongraStar #RiseupForRojava #BijiYPJ #WomenOfRojava #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

Where do cops come from and why does the capitalist state need them? ❓🚓

On Tuesday the 28th, organizer and author brian bean will share reflections at Firestorm Books on the connection between policing and capitalism. Drawing from their new book "Their End Is Our Beginning," brian will trace the roots and development of policing through colonial rule, racist enslavement, and class oppression, concluding with an analysis of how police power can be challenged and, ultimately, abolished to build a thriving community-organized society!

Learn more and find your copy of brian's book at https://firestorm.coop/events/3462-their-end-is-our-beginning.html 🚫🚓

#AbolishThePolice #AbolishICE #Abolitionism #ACAB #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

This Wednesday, we'll be hosting anarchist writer @rechelon who has recently published a new book on the conflict between postmodernists and scientists in the the late 20th century. William will be joined in conversation by mathematical physicist @mmarcolli who has described the book as "a lucid and detailed analysis" of how left-leaning postmodernists gave birth to a fascist resurgence that's ensnared millions in an "alternative reality."

"Did The Science Wars Take Place?" returns to an infamous conflict across radical subcultural spaces and academia to examine its lingering influence on the Left and the Right today, with an eye towards what anarchists and activists can take away. Simultaneously a gossipy account of historical drama among radicals and a studious engagement within contemporary philosophy of science, it provides a discursive autopsy and political analysis that will surprise most readers.

You can register for this free event, and find your copy of "Did the Science Wars Take Place?", at https://firestorm.coop/events/3479-the-political-ethical-stakes-of-radical-realism.html. Not able to make the event live? Sign up anyway and we'll send you the recording to consume at your leisure!

#ScienceWars #Antifascist #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

This Wednesday, we'll be hosting anarchist writer @rechelon who has recently published a new book on the conflict between postmodernists and scientists in the the late 20th century. William will be joined in conversation by mathematical physicist @mmarcolli who has described the book as "a lucid and detailed analysis" of how left-leaning postmodernists gave birth to a fascist resurgence that's ensnared millions in an "alternative reality."

"Did The Science Wars Take Place?" returns to an infamous conflict across radical subcultural spaces and academia to examine its lingering influence on the Left and the Right today, with an eye towards what anarchists and activists can take away. Simultaneously a gossipy account of historical drama among radicals and a studious engagement within contemporary philosophy of science, it provides a discursive autopsy and political analysis that will surprise most readers.

You can register for this free event, and find your copy of "Did the Science Wars Take Place?", at https://firestorm.coop/events/3479-the-political-ethical-stakes-of-radical-realism.html. Not able to make the event live? Sign up anyway and we'll send you the recording to consume at your leisure!

#ScienceWars #Antifascist #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

This Monday, Firestorm is teaming up with scholar Zane McNeill for a conversation on the terrifying new wave of anti-transgender rhetoric and political persecution. Speaking with activists Eric King and Josh Davidson, co-editors of "Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners," we'll put this federal attack on trans rights in historical perspective—connecting it to repression during the Red Scare, the Lavender Scare, Black Liberation and Gay Rights Movements, the Green Scare, and solidarity with Palestine.

We'll also explore what we can learn from past struggles—how organizers not only survived but built movements under constant FBI surveillance—highlighting harm and risk reduction strategies that remain relevant today.

Find more and register to join this free event at https://firestorm.coop/events/3478-gender-terrorism-surviving-magas-war-on-trans-people.html. The recorded conversation will also be shared via our YouTube channel for folks who cannot join live!

#TransLiberation #TransRights #LavenderScare #NoTrumpNoKKKNoFascistUSA #WeKeepUsSafe #QueerSouth #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

This Monday, Firestorm is teaming up with scholar Zane McNeill for a conversation on the terrifying new wave of anti-transgender rhetoric and political persecution. Speaking with activists Eric King and Josh Davidson, co-editors of "Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners," we'll put this federal attack on trans rights in historical perspective—connecting it to repression during the Red Scare, the Lavender Scare, Black Liberation and Gay Rights Movements, the Green Scare, and solidarity with Palestine.

We'll also explore what we can learn from past struggles—how organizers not only survived but built movements under constant FBI surveillance—highlighting harm and risk reduction strategies that remain relevant today.

Find more and register to join this free event at https://firestorm.coop/events/3478-gender-terrorism-surviving-magas-war-on-trans-people.html. The recorded conversation will also be shared via our YouTube channel for folks who cannot join live!

#TransLiberation #TransRights #LavenderScare #NoTrumpNoKKKNoFascistUSA #WeKeepUsSafe #QueerSouth #FeministBookstore #FirestormCoop (- L)

After Hurricane Helene, we promised ourselves that we wouldn't go through another disaster without a battery backup for our rooftop solar. Thanks to the folks at Footprint Project, we're on track to install 20kWh of battery capacity for our building this month!

So now want to pay it forward. On Thursday, October 9th, we'll be donating net proceeds from all sales in-store and online to the Feral Crust Infoshop in Davao, Philippines. This longstanding eco-anarchist project is a living experiment based on principles of mutual aid, cooperation and ecology. So buy a book (or two) and the donated sale will help to fund upgrades to Feral Crust's off-grid electrical infrastructure and rainwater harvesting systems!

https://firestorm.coop/catalog/new.html

#HurricaneHelene #MutualAidDisasterRelief #FeministBookstore #EcoAnarchism #Infoshop #FirestormCoop (- L)