Author: Nia Hunter

USA TODAY recently published the results of their Reader’s Choice Awards for top 10 independent bookstores. Out of all the independent bookstores in the nation, Red Emma’s came in 9th! Make sure when you stop by, you tell them congratulations!

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Red Emma’s ranked #No. 9:  for Best Independent Bookstore in the 2025 USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards

No. 9: Best Independent Bookstore

Named after 19th-century radical thinker Emma Goldman, Red Emma’s in Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood is a worker-cooperative-run bookstore and cafe dedicated to sustainability and community engagement. The store stocks titles of every genre, with a wide-ranging collection of books on civil rights, revolutionary history, and activism. Red Emma’s frequently hosts speakers, community events, and author series, while the on-site restaurant offers a plant-based menu, coffee drinks, and a full wine and cocktail bar.

We did it! The Maryland Cooperative Statute has passed!!! It has been signed by the Governor and will go into effect on October 1, 2026!

Our project steward, Anna Evans-Goldstein, took initiative and cultivated the Maryland Limited Worker Cooperative Association Act. This meant a lot of drafts, meetings, conversations, connections, trips to Annapolis, and time. We are so proud of the work Anna has done on this, and are happy to be a part of getting this bill passed.

A huge thank you goes out to the many cooperative members and supporters who contacted their elected representatives to push for this landmark legislation!

From Anna:

Thank you so much to all of you who wrote letters, made calls, and showed up to testify. This bill would not have passed without the overwhelming support of the cooperative community in Maryland. We truly showed what it is to be a community that supports each other – cooperatives supporting cooperatives – a shining example of the sixth cooperative principle.

A special thank you to our champions in the Maryland State Legislature, Legislature includes: Senator Mary Washington , Delegates Lili Qi, and Delegate Lorig Charkoudian. Please take a moment to reach out to them by email or by phone to express our heartfelt thank you for championing this bill. And thank you to our partners who helped with bill drafting and support: the University of Baltimore Community Development Law Clinic and the Public Justice Center. 

Maximillian Alvarez moderated a panel talking to some Baltimore City folks who are part of the worker-owned cooperative ecosystem. Listen to what it’s like to operate a co-op, the history of how these worker-owners came to their cooperative, and how BRED is part of that process. The Real News Podcast

Did you know that Baltimore has a multi-century history of co-ops? In These Times published an article about the current revival of co-ops, highlighting conversations with baristas who co-own some of the best cooperatives in Baltimore.

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One of the things we do here at BRED, is help workers keep their jobs when a business is being sold. How do we do that? It’s called a cooperative conversion. This is when we help the business owner sell the business to the employees, and they all become worker-owners, and the business becomes a co-op! A while ago, WYPR wrote an article about employees taking over their businesses, you can read it here —> Toss your boss to the curb. What happens when workers take over?