The Silver Moon Bookshop became a unique cultural phenomenon in London, successfully creating a space where women’s literature was the rule, not the exception. As Europe’s largest women’s bookstore, it operated on the principle of exclusively selling books written by women. The shop quickly blossomed into a vital meeting point for writers, activists, and readers, nurturing its own distinct intellectual ecosystem. Its sheer uniqueness lay in the fact that it was a space for visibility, support, and emancipation. Read more on londonka.
Beginnings and Establishment of The Silver Moon Bookshop
The Silver Moon Bookshop opened its doors in May 1984, the brainchild of Jane Cholmeley, Sue Butterworth, and Jane Anger. It was born from a potent blend of Sappho’s poetic legacy, feminist symbolism, and the clear desire to create a place where the voices of marginalised women could sound full, confident, and whole. The choice of location on Charing Cross Road was deliberate. The Greater London Council (GLC) was keen to preserve the street’s reputation as an international book destination and offered several derelict properties to be leased specifically by bookshops. Number 68 was in dire need of total refurbishment, but the future owners were undeterred. They successfully raised over £47,000 from friends and family, and the GLC provided a crucial grant for the building’s restoration and the initial book stock.
The Silver Moon Bookshop initially experimented with a collective organisational model. Rotating positions, equal pay, and collective decision-making were intended as an alternative to capitalist power structures. However, this approach quickly reached its limits, sometimes hindering operational efficiency and even customer interaction. It was replaced by a system of ‘open management’ – a flexible model with a moderate hierarchy that still ensured every staff member had a real influence on daily activities. Monthly general meetings and shared dinners remained the heart of this vibrant culture.
Expansion, Recognition, and the End of The Silver Moon Era
The same year, in 1984, the Silver Moon Café opened in the bookstore’s basement. Almost all the food was made by women, for women, ensuring a safe and supportive atmosphere for the community. This made the café an important meeting hub, but also led to controversy. Criticising the ‘exclusive’ nature of the membership, Westminster City Council refused to grant an alcohol license due to the lack of a male toilet – though the context suggested deeper social prejudice was at play.
In 1990, Jane Cholmeley and Sue Butterworth went on to establish their own publishing house, The Silver Moon Books. It specialised primarily in romance and detective fiction that offered a fresh, new perspective on women’s desire, intellect, and lived experience. Among their most notable publications were Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest (1990), Under the Southern Cross by Claire McNab (1992), and the detective novel First Impressions by Kate Callaway (1996). Furthermore, Sue Butterworth founded The Silver Moon Quarterly newsletter, which informed subscribers about new releases in women’s, feminist, and lesbian literature. By the late 1990s, it boasted a subscriber base of at least 10,000 people.
In 1994, The Silver Moon Bookshop celebrated its tenth anniversary. To mark this significant milestone, the publishing house Virago released the collection By the Light of the Silvery Moon. It featured 15 short stories that explored themes of female agency, lesbian identity, and solidarity. The contributors included Lisa Tuttle, Ellen Galford, Merle Collins, Sara Maitland, Shena Mackay, and other writers whose work was shaping new horizons in British literature.
However, The Silver Moon Bookshop soon found itself under pressure from financial and market changes. A steep rise in rent demanded by the Soho Housing Association made maintaining the premises economically unviable. Additionally, the arrival of Amazon in the UK in 1998 fundamentally reshaped the book market, giving buyers access to massive discounts and a catalogue that independent bookshops simply could not compete with. On November 18, 2001, the beloved bookstore closed its doors. Part of its mission was honourably passed on to Foyles—one of London’s oldest bookshops—where a dedicated section was opened, which continued the legacy until 2004.
The Legacy and Significance of The Silver Moon Bookshop
The Silver Moon Bookshop earned a reputation as one of Europe’s most influential feminist cultural centres. Its shelves exclusively featuring works by women made it a unique platform for authors across generations—from Barbara Wilson and Katherine V. Forrest to Val McDermid, Pat Barker, and Doris Lessing. Literary legends of global standing, including Maya Angelou, Angela Carter, and Margaret Atwood, personally visited the establishment, which further cemented its international prestige. This was a crucial hub where feminist organisations and literary collectives disseminated information, coordinated campaigns, and announced their events. For its multifaceted work, the institution was honoured with the Pandora Award in 1989 for its outstanding contribution to the status of women in the publishing industry. In 2001, it received the Pink Paper Award for its long-standing support of the LGBTQ+ community and its vital educational work.
