Underdog Bookstore in Old Town Monrovia — whose owners previously announced they would close the bookshop’s doors after several experiences of homophobia and racism — will soldier on under new leadership as a nonprofit, beginning in July.
The bookstore’s mission is to support and center underrepresented authors and communities, including authors of color, queer writers and more. Underdog is one of only a few LGBTQ+ -affirming spaces in the San Gabriel Valley, its advocates said.
But in the year since opening, the space has been the target of repeated hate, including threats of physical violence and verbal abuse. As recent as February, bookstore employees and customers have reported escalating incidents of homophobic, transphobic and racist remarks from people coming into the store. Things seemed to escalate last year as June Pride Month — and planned corresponding events — approached, shop founders Thomas Murtland and his husband Nathan Allen said.
The decision to step down this summer was not based on Underdog’s financial situation, Murtland and Allen clarified in an April announcement. It came as a response to the levels of hate and homophobia that both co-founders and other shop employees were receiving, along with personal matters.
Murtland and Allen said they’ve experienced online abuse and homophobia, and the “continued impact of the hate we receive” was taking its toll.
“We ultimately came to the decision that what was best for us, the owners, was just to step back from being in the store and running it,” Murtland said in April. “We started receiving frequent messages and comments… (people) would call the store owners pedophiles, groomers and other gross things. And that was when we realized that we couldn’t do the bookstore forever.”
Temple City resident Kealie Mardell-Carrera has supported Underdog Bookstore when the Myrtle Ave. store was just a pop-up table at the Old Town Monrovia Friday street fairs. She said she was “devastated” over the frequent hate Murtland and booksellers had experienced, and was “shocked that those kind of people existed so vocally within Monrovia.”
Now, Mardell-Carrera is taking the helm as the new nonprofit’s president.
“We can’t let those people win. They’re not the majority voice in our community. We want to raise the voices of those that deserve to have their voices raised and quiet the haters,” she said. “Underdog — the bookstore that you know and love — is staying the same. We are still going to be about raising the voices of underrepresented groups, helping underdogs find stories of other underdogs. This is just going to be the next chapter.”
In April, shortly after it was announced on social media that the bookstore’s fate was up in the air, Mardell-Carrera said that over 30 community members reached out with interest in volunteering, or joining the new nonprofit board.
“It was really affirming that this is an important space, that we need to make the nonprofit happen,” she said.
With a background in education and working with children with disabilities, Mardell-Carrera hopes to elevate the future of Underdog Bookstore with even more programming to serve foster youth, disabled children and seniors. She plans for the nonprofit to continue sponsoring books for those with limited access, and cultivating a welcoming community space.
“The heart of Underdog is the community aspect of being this safe, inclusive space that we don’t have enough of in our local area,” she said.
Among the biggest changes Mardell-Carrera wants to make includes opening the shop back up to everyday operating hours. After the frequent hate it received in its first year of opening, the store maintained limited weekend hours back in February, to protect workers and patrons.
Underdog Bookstore’s owners have also offered discounts on books by diverse authors and communities that had been targeted, as a proactive response. Since February, they have reported no further in-person incidents.
Murtland was “so excited” for the new path the nonprofit will take, once he and his husband step away from operations at the end of June. Everyone involved are either regular customers or have a connection to Monrovia and the San Gabriel Valley, he said.
“It’s really cool to see another group of people have a chance to have a positive impact in the community and create a space where people are still going to feel welcome,” Murtland said.
Monrovia resident and Underdog regular Yasmin Carroll was excited to hear the beloved bookstore will remain open. Carroll said she likes to support small businesses — including local bookstores — because of their scarcity, and since they’re usually owned and operated by locals.
“I don’t know what the nonprofit model will look like… but hopefully Underdog will be able to stay open and provide books and merchandise for the community,” Carroll said. “If people aren’t hurting anyone, I don’t understand why others (haters) would care. Why be against people who are causing no harm?”
Underdog Bookstore has some Pride Month-themed author events lined up for June. Its status as an official community nonprofit is still in the works, Mardell-Carrera said, but the business can continue to operate and fundraise.
A fundraising event is set for Sunday, June 9 at Mt. Lowe Brewing in Arcadia from 1 to 8 p.m. The event will include a silent auction, a used book sale, craft activities and therapy animals.
“This is our first chance to be able to introduce ourselves to the community. For anyone who wants to support and see Underdog stay open, we’re the new team that are going to do it,” Mardell-Carrera said. “We want to hear what everybody wants to see happening in this new chapter.”
Related links
The Book Pages: A real Southern California Underdog story
Old Town Monrovia’s LGBTQ bookstore had high hopes. After repeated abuse, its future is uncertain
How an Old Town Monrovia bookstore, centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors, rises against frequent hate
How Southern California stylists are providing safe spaces for queer and transgender clients
Coalition focused on Latinx, transgender immigrants opens new location in El Monte
