Aquarius Books
Final resting place: 116 N. Grant
Aquarius Books was originally a branch of the Indy-based feminist bookstore Dreams and Swords, but was later purchased and run independently under the name Aquarius. The store shared its space with a record and gift store, Athena. I was actually able to speak to Ann Haines, a former volunteer at Aquarius, about what the store was like. Special thanks to her for talking to me! The store carried fiction and nonfiction written by women, and was particularly proud of its selection of lesbian fiction, something that was much more difficult to come by in the 80's and 90's compared to today. There was also a guestbook kept in the store where patrons would write letters to each other, a form of asynchronous conversation. Ann told me it was a very positive space that allowed lesbian and bisexual women to socialize without needing to be involved in the bar scene. Apparently, Morgenstern's (first) opening hurt the store significantly, and Aquarius books ended up closing in anticipation of large chain bookstores moving into town. I was sad to hear that the store was long gone! I think I would have very much liked to visit it if it was still standing.