BookWoman Shops in Austin – GayOut Guide
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BookWoman

Google (341) 4.6
Tripadvisor (4) 4.0
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What reviewers say

Visitors praise BookWoman for its curated selection of books by and for women, its feminist focus, and its role as a local institution. However, some reviewers found the staff to be unwelcoming or condescending, and one noted being asked about mask requirements long after the pandemic.

86
/ 100
GayOut Score
G4.6 🦉4.0
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Address
5501 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin

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About this place BookWoman

BookWoman is an independent feminist bookstore at 5501 North Lamar Boulevard in Austin. It has been trading since the mid-1970s, when it started as the Common Woman Bookstore. It stocks lesbian, queer, trans and feminist books alongside zines, cards and local crafts. It also hosts author readings, book clubs and community group meetings. It is one of the few surviving feminist bookstores of its generation in the US, and a good first stop for finding out what's happening in Austin's queer community. It is north of the university, so you'll need a car or bus from downtown.

Features

Lesbian / Women-focused LGBTQ+ LGBTQ+ owned Community space Mixed LGBTQ+ Trans-focused Free entry Card payments accepted Walk-ins welcome Day venue Evening venue Year-round Smoke-free

Insider Tips

Community Reviews

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Google Reviews

Verified by Google
4.6
★★★★★
341 reviews

Based on 341 Google reviews.

sienna
sienna Jul 2026
★★★★★
Gigi Faddoul
Gigi Faddoul Jul 2026
★★★★★
coyote ochre
coyote ochre Jun 2026
★★★★★

so grateful for political bookstores, in every time & every day, but ‘specially in times like these. thank you for being an austin grassroots institution!

Satish Kumar
Satish Kumar Jun 2026
★★★★★
Basanthi Pasupuleti
Basanthi Pasupuleti Jun 2026
★★★★★

Loved the experience of going to one of the few feminist book stores in this country , the extensive collection of books by women for women made me so happy , apart from that they have a good collection of goods and posters related to mental health activism of various kinds,in the present scenario we need more stores like this,kudos to the owners for making the effort ,some of the intresting books I found were In the age of sexism which details how AI left out women, Everyday Utopia which details the unique practices of living since thousands of years and how we can incorporate them to make modern life easier and The Apothecary's wife which details Ancient medicinal practices.

Sidney Daniel
Sidney Daniel May 2026
★★★★★

Cute little book shop with some fun things, but the elder woman working was condescending and patronizing. I was going to purchase several things but after her attitude, I chose to go elsewhere. I was put off by her comments and lack of pleasantries. We are out of towners who specifically sought out to support gay owned businesses and this is the first off putting interaction we have had at ANY business in the 4 days we have been here.

Donna Rogers
Donna Rogers May 2026
★★★★★

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20 reviews so far — add yours

Last updated on 8 November 2026

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