Firestorm Books is a collectively-owned radical bookstore and not-for-profit event space. Since 2008 they have supported grassroots movements in Southern Appalachia while developing a workplace on the basis of cooperation, empowerment and equity.
In their shop you’ll find a unique blend of off-beat, underground and independently published materials. They carry titles by AK Press, PM Press, Haymarket Books, Chelsea Green Publishing, On Our Own Authority!, Detritus Books and many many others. They are also known for their extensive Zine collection, bold statement stickers, and unusual greeting cards.
As a queer, feminist collective they feature books and events that reflect their interests, and the needs of marginalized communities in the South. They strive to promote exploration and encounter by maintaining a welcoming, sober, and anti-oppressive space. Collective members are avid readers and always happy to recommend titles and discuss your favorite authors.
The shop carries a wide range of fiction, nonfiction, children’s picture books, graphic novels, social & environmental focused titles, field guides, vegan cookbooks, memoirs, history, Spanish language editions, and more. The variety of titles they carry is amazing and we always find something of interest, often totally unrelated to what we came in looking for which is the best way to explore a bookstore in our opinion. You can view their full catalog online, but obviously we are big advocates of browsing bookshelves in person. Please note that face masks are required while shopping in Firestorm Books with paper masks available immediately inside the front door.
You can order books from their bookshop online for shipping or store pick up. Special requests can be made through their website or in person. They also have a buy-back program, with select books eligible, where you receive 25% of the cover price in store credit.
Along with their robust new book collection, they host a wide range of events, workshops, film screenings, fundraisers and presentations. See their website for the wide variety of events and groups that meet at their location, as well as the many opportunities to volunteer and get involved in our local community.
Firestorm Books does not have a dedicated parking lot, but street parking is free in West Asheville both in marked spaces along Haywood Road, across the street on W. Greenbriar Road, and on side streets in the surrounding residential neighborhood. Accessible parking is located at the front of the shop.
