Boxcar Books

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Coordinates: 39°44′23″N 104°57′23″W / 39.73972, -104.95639

Boxcar Books

Type	Non-Profit Corporation
Founded	Bloomington, IN (2001)
Headquarters	310A S. Washington St. Bloomington, IN 47401
Industry	Books
Website	boxcarbooks.org

Boxcar Books is a non-profit, cooperatively-run bookstore located in Bloomington, Indiana. Its mission is "to promote reading, self-education, social equality, and social welfare through increased accessibility to literature and workshops - and the promotion of a community to support these projects." Boxcar carries a large and ever-growing selection of new and used books, as well as magazines, zines, comics, t-shirts, postcards, and other gift items.^[1]

Boxcar Books is located at 310A S. Washington St., just two blocks south of downtown Bloomington, across from 3rd St. Park and next door to Landlocked Music. In 2005, Boxcar Books had the opportunity to expand and double its size, allowing for a much larger area for the meeting space and more storage area for the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project.

Though neither of Boxcar’s founders are currently involved, the project has proved sustainable and continues to thrive. The space holds frequent author readings, art shows, film screenings, musical events, community meetings, book clubs, and more. In 2004, Boxcar started to carry textbooks for classes at Indiana University, and each year expands its class list.

[edit] History

Boxcar Books and Community Center, Inc. (its full legal name) began as an idea between Ali Haimson and Matthew Turissini for a bookstore, a community meeting space, and a new home and legal entity for The Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project in September of 2001. They applied for non-profit and tax exempt status in November 2001, and put together a board of directors of six committed volunteers.^[2] In January 2002, Boxcar began renting a space, and opened its doors on February 1, 2002 with a grand opening celebration.