ABOUT US

The Massive Bookshop is an anti-profit, abolitionist, online bookstore based in western Massachusetts. By "anti-profit" we mean that we're opposed to the idea of generating a profit. While that may not seem sustainable, living as we do in a capitalist economy, in other ways it's easier to be sustainable with a business model that doesn't depend on extracting surplus value from underpaid employees or living off whatever meager margin we get from reselling books. Like you, we have day jobs that pay our bills, and everything about the business is set up to require a minimum of effort on our part to get the books from the publishers to you.

In order to keep costs to a minimum, we don't take out loans, we don't rent a storefront, and we don't keep any money for ourselves. When we have a surplus in our bank account we give it to OUR FRIENDS.

Since we started the bookstore in September 2020, we've generated over $18k in revenue for various mutual aid and community-building projects. In 2022 we made the decision to use all of our resources to support those caged by the criminal punishment system. Now we're bailing people out of jail. Through organizing partnerships with community bail funds like our friends at Decarcerate Western Mass, we hope eventually to abolish the dehumanizing practice of pre-trial detention. Until that day, we use money from book sales to grow the bank balances of bail funds, thereby increasing their capacity to get people out of cages. Because the bail fund gets the money back after those arrested make their court appearances, even a few hundred dollars can be used to get dozens or even hundreds of people out of jail free over the life of the bail fund.

If you want to order a book, please do! We ship via USPS or UPS, and we also use drop-ship services provided by many of the larger book publishers and distributors to ship directly from them to you. If we don't have what you're looking for, submit a request through the MASSIVE BOOK HOOK-UP. We relish any opportunity to find you the book you want to read at a price that you can afford.

We also cover the cost (up to $50/mo) of sending books to those currently incarcerated in a jail or prison. To read more about this service, check out our B2P page, which provides state-by-state guidance for sending books to prisoners in the U.S.

It should be understood that on paper the Massive Bookshop is a business like any other, embedded in the totally unsustainable global networks of capital accumulation. We are not ending capitalism with a bookstore. We are simply selling cool books and, at the same time, bailing some people out of jail. The Massive Bookshop is an ongoing experiment, exploring what's possible within the constraints set for us by capitalism. We are having fun, and we hope you'll have fun with us, too.

Because we hate landlords, we don't rent a storefront. Our Massive Fulfillment Center is a 152 sq. ft. office space leased from the Franklin County Community Development Corporation. If you want to send us snail mail, you can send it there:

MASSIVE BOOKSHOP
324 Wells St
Greenfield, MA 01301

or email us at:

hello@massivebookshop.com

 ps. The MASSIVE LOGO was designed by artist, musician, artisanal t-shirt king, and friend of the bookshop, E*Rock. Thanks, E*Rock!