The economic recession has been tough for retailers all over, and the few independent bookstores left were taking a real beating even before that from large stores like Chapters Indigo, Walmart and Amazon.

Usually, I'd just shrug and say "that's capitalism" but in the case of the Toronto Women's Bookstore, it really is more than just a bookstore. It really is an important fixture of the left and feminist movement in Toronto.

As Kristin Schwartz wrote in the recent issue of Canadian Dimension, independents matter.

The Toronto Women's Bookstore has always stocked a good amount of anarchist books and magazines and have helped sponsor and promote many progressive events in the city.

So when I read the letter they sent to the community I had to blog about it and encourage our readers to support them.