LGBTQ-owned businesses in Atlanta, GA

Charis Books & More

Atlanta, GA

Welcome to Charis Books & More, the South's oldest independent feminist bookstore. We opened our doors on November 4, 1974 in Atlanta's Little Five Points neighborhood, founded by Linda Bryant and Barbara Borgman around a simple, radical idea: that a bookstore could be a gift to its community. Our name comes from the Greek word charis, meaning grace or gift, and for more than fifty years we have tried to live up to it. In November 2024 we celebrated our 50th anniversary of feminist bookselling, and we are still going strong. In 2019 we moved from Little Five Points to a purple house at 184 S. Candler Street in Decatur, where we are proud to serve as the official bookstore partner of Agnes Scott College. Our shelves are curated with intention. You will find feminist literature, LGBTQ+ books, work by writers of color, diverse and affirming children's titles, and the kind of hard-to-find voices that big-box stores overlook. Many of our shelves are on wheels, so the space can shift to make room for readers, gatherings, and one another. Charis is more than a store. Together with our nonprofit programming partner, Charis Circle, we host more than 200 events a year, from author readings and open mics to book clubs and support groups for trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people of every age. Our mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. That work belongs to all of us. When you shop with us, you are shopping independent, queer, and feminist. Every book you buy and every event you attend helps keep this community space alive and helps fund the free and low-cost programming that has made Charis a home for generations of Atlantans. Whether you have been coming here since the Moreland Avenue days or you are walking through our door for the very first time, we are glad you are here. Come browse, come listen, come find your next favorite book, and come as you are. We saved you a seat.