We can't keep updating this page as fast as events happen, so check out our website for an up-to-date calendarwww.sbinfoshop.org !!!If you have questions or something to talk about, please email [email protected] since it's sometimes difficult to check this place in time!THANKS!
ANNOUNCEMENT:: WE HAVE A SPACE!!!
The Santa Barbara Infoshop is officially located at 421 Alisos #A. That means, if you're on State St. headed towards the Ocean, turn left onto Haley, go all the way down to cross Milpas, and turn right on Alisos. It's the big, 2-story yellow building on your right! Everybody is welcome!
What is an infoshop?
An Infoshop is a volunteer-run bookstore and community center for activist activities, including a computer center, meeting space, a library with radical literature, a shop with books, zines, other gear and more. An Infoshop is a free space where people are invited to hang out, talk, meet, play, and organize. Everyone is welcome!
Why does Santa Barbara need one?
Santa Barbara needs an Infoshop because it needs a location where people can meet, friends can be made, information can be distributed, workshops and skill shares could be held, actions can be organized, and projects can be completed. Santa Barbara has recently seen an increase in community action, supporters, events, and good ideas, so creating an Infoshop is a way of helping to continue the movement and ensuring it will continue for many years to come. The Infoshop will benefit many students, workers, activists, and teachers in the community.
What are the plans for opening this space?
One of the first steps for opening the Infoshop is receiving substantial donations from community members who would like to see this space happen. It would be ideal to secure a space in Downtown Santa Barbara by the New Year and have the shop open for visitors in about a month. In order to upkeep the shop, there needs to be a few residents living in the back bedrooms up keeping the shop every day in exchange for reasonably low rent, other people who will come in to work, and contributors who are willing to pay money each month into holding the space and buying reading materials.
This is list of all the things we wanted to see happen at the infoshop once it's started:
-a library with both books and zines for sale and for free
-a computer center with internet and several computers
-a meeting space with chalkboards and a master calendar bulletin board
-an art store featuring local art to benefit the infoshop
-a community (dumpster etc) fridge
-freeschool classes
-a community garden at the infoshop
-heating/electricity from renewable sources
-a pirate radio station
-couches and sleeping stuff for visitors
-a stereo system and projector for movie nights
-tutoring for jr high school and high school kids
-theme nights to get younger people stopping by
-renting parts of the infoshop to other groups as meeting space
-a free box
Now, an important list- How we plan on getting the money to keep the infoshop open:
-Benefit music and art shows at local venues
-A benefit show to happen on Dec 15 (details soon)
-Renting out space to organizations for meeting space (after the shop opens)
-Compiling and selling a benefit CD from local artists and debuting it at a show
-Selling jewelry, prints, fabric crafts, paintings, etc in the infoshop
-Asking for monthly donations from collective members (important!)
-One-time donations or sporadic donations from community members
-(to be decided on) getting legal status and petitioning Fund for Santa Barbara or other organizations
-Minimal rent from people living in the bedrooms in the infoshop
Now, here's what YOU can do in the next few weeks:
(if you're willing to help with art or music, let us know soon)
-Ask around and find bands who'd want to play benefit shows or contribute to the benefit CD
-Find artists who can make pieces to sell at shows or the shop; start making such
-Ask people you know to pledge to make monthly contributions- keep track of them, and email back or talk to people from food not bombs about it since there's a tally
-Visit other infoshops and find out what we do and don't want
-Ask around and find people who'd like to live in a room at the infoshop
-Think of new ideas for getting money and making this happen!
