00523 The Coffeehouse Collective An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society Finding aid prepared by Frank Hennessy Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul MN.

Manuscripts Collection

 Finding aid encoded by Frank Hennessy January 2001Finding aid written inEnglish August 2008Converted from EAD Version 1.0 to Version 2002 by Monica Manny Ralston, Daniel Sher, and Joyce Chapman. OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Coffeehouse Collective (Minneapolis, Minn.). Coffeehouse Collective records. 1975-1990. Records documenting the history of one of the first women's coffeehouses in the U.S. The coffeehouse was promoted as "a chemically-free meeting place for all women which supports and nurtures the social, cultural, and political life of the Twin Cities lesbian community." 1.0 cu. ft. (3 boxes and 1 oversize folder, unboxed). See Detailed Description for shelf locations. SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Includes correspondence (1976-1989), minutes (1981-1990), financial statements (1981-1985), calendar (undated and 1981-1989), flyers (undated and 1975, 1981-1989), contracts (1980-1989), a mailing list (1989), and a directory of performers connected with the Collective's history.

A Woman's Coffeehouse originally opened as a fund raiser for the Lesbian Resource Center (Dec. 20, 1975). The Coffeehouse Collective assumed management (Feb. 1976) and operated the coffeehouse until its closing (Sept. 9, 1989). Topics include the collective's philosophy, routine management, hiring of collective members, fund raising, publicity, programming (which included live performances, dancing, and political or educational presentations), and the coffeehouse's dissolution.

 RELATED MATERIALS

Memorabilia including buttons, an event ticket, and wall hanging are found in the Minnesota Historical Society museum collections.

 CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings..

Topics: Lesbians -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Women -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Women musicians. Women entertainers. Coffeehouses -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis. Feminism -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Employee ownership -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis. Cooperative societies -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis. Persons: Peg Dyer. Alsion Bechdel, 1960- Organizations: Woman's Coffeehouse (Minneapolis, Minn.). ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here.] Minnesota Historical Society. Coffeehouse Collective records.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

 Accession Information:

Accession number: 14,809

 Processing Information:

Processed by: Frank Hennessy, June 1993; January 2001

Catalog ID number: 09-00037382

DETAILED DESCRIPTION P1971 1 Minutes, 1981-1986, 1988-1990. 7 folders. Peg Dyers notes, 1988-1989. Dissolution, 1989-1990. P1971 2 Correspondence, undated and 1976-1989. Finances, 1981-1985. Mailing list, 1989. Calendars, undated and 1981-1989. Flyers, undated and 1975, 1981-1989. 2 folders. Performers: Correspondence, undated and 1979-1989. Contracts, 1980-1989. Directory. P1971 3 Directory. 2 folders. +210 Posters and community meeting notes, undated and 1976, 1981, 1989.

Includes two posters advertising events at A Woman's Coffeehouse: the first, an appearance of Les Dames in concert (May 1, 1976), and the second, a performance of Gwen Avery at the coffeehouse's annual New Year's Eve party (December 31, 1981). There is also an original drawing for a poster announcing the presentation of a slide show by Alison Bechdel (undated).

Six sheets of notes from a community meeting (March 18, 1989) give information about the meeting's agenda and rules of order, the Collective's finances, and attendance statistics from coffeehouse events (January-March 1989).