Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative...  A Resource Center for the Left Since 1989

Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative is an independent cooperatively owned and managed resource center in Madison, WI. Our mission is to provide progressive books, periodicals, crafts and related alternative materials for progressives, locally and globally. On the local level, we open our space for political, cultural and social events and regularly partner with progressive groups to provide books  and other materials to venues throughout the region.

Launched in 1989 by a dedicated group of volunteers, the store has become a key community institution and resource center for Left activists, radical scholars, and book lovers of all sorts. We've done so despite the rise of the online corporate giants, the “big box” book retailers, and the related demise of numerous locally-owned “independents”. Our coop is powered by three paid staff, a committed core of volunteers, and a wider circle of consumer members and share holders. We've continued to grow through the efforts of those who understand the value of their dollars in sustaining our project. We want you to join us!!

Understanding that the point is not just to understand history but to change it, we remain committed to supplying books and periodicals from independent and radical sources to our supporters and the movements for social change. We also remain dedicated to defending a restored commons, an open and accessible “casa del popolo” in-store and on the web, for the sharing of information and radical ideas.

Your support is essential. After all, "...You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Chains!"

Open Daily:

Monday thru Saturday, 10:00am-6:00pm

Sundays, 12:00-5:00pm

608-257-6050