 Old Wives Tales at 1009 Valencia Street (photo taken in 1983) | |
| Formation | October 31, 1976 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Carol Seajay, Paula Wallace |
| Dissolved | October 1995 |
| Type | Feminist bookstore |
| Location | |
Old Wives Tales (also Old Wives' Tales) was a feminist bookstore in the Mission Dolores neighborhood of San Francisco. [1] It was founded on October 31, 1976, by Carol Seajay and Paula Wallace, a lesbian couple. [2] It closed permanently in October 1995. [3] [4]
On October 31, 1976, Old Wives Tales opened at 532 Valencia Street, funded by a loan from the San Francisco Feminist Federal Credit Union. It initially operated as a partnership between the founders. [2] In 1978, Carol Seajay and Paula Wallace broke up, with Wallace moving away. The bookstore was moved to a new location at 1009 Valencia Street after the breakup, [5] and Seajay restructured it to run as a worker cooperative. [2]
In 1983, members of the worker collective incorporated Old Wives Tales as a nonprofit. Seajay resigned the same year. [6]
In early 1991, the bookstore halved its floor space as a result of financial difficulties. [7] In August 1993, Old Wives Tales reported additional financial trouble, with the collective seeking $25,000 in loans to continue operating the bookstore. [8]