Title IX: A Bookstore, which was founded in New London, Conn., in 2020, is closing, effective October 1.
In an announcement to customers, owner Annie Philbrick, who also owns Bank Square Books in Mystic, said in part that "reallocating our resources and efforts into ensuring the long-term sustainability of our flagship location, Bank Square Books, and our various community efforts needs to be our priority at this time. Our commitment to New London remains unchanged--we are dedicated to continuing our mission of supporting the community by partnering with schools and other New London-based organizations. It is our intention to honor the legacy of Title IX: A Bookstore through the continuation of the Bookstore Community Fund out of Bank Square Books and beyond."
Philbrick also thanked the community for its support and said the store was "proud of what our team was able to accomplish during that time." That included launching, in 2022, the Bookstore Community Fund, a "pay it forward" style program to make new books more accessible for all. The store opened in November 2020 as a part of a citywide pop-up shop initiative, with the goal to serve the diverse community of New London with a collection of books that focus on investigating, informing, and inspiring social justice.
This past July, Philbrick closed Savoy Bookshop & Café, Westerly, R.I., which had opened in 2016. That store, she said, had "run a deficit year after year due to thin margins, fierce online competition, and increasing costs on nearly all fronts," which had become "insurmountable hurdles" for Savoy.