Saturday, September 22, 2007

WEEKLY EVENTS AND IN-STORE UPDATES

The Devil's Club Community Apothecary Weekly Q&A
Need help? Have questions?


The Devil's Club Community Apothecary is a herbal dispensary using locally
harvested native and non-native medicinal plants. It is our way of
encouraging people to become involved in their bioregion. At Camas there
is a large cupboard filled with jars of hand picked herbs and reference
books. The apothecary is completely volunteer run and all herbs are by
donation. Come by and check it out!

Every Saturday from 12-2pm at Camas Books and Infoshop someone will be
hanging out ready to answer your questions about herbal medicine and your
health.

Come and pick our brains! We can help you with your herba
l and health related questions (ex: herbal preparations, plant ID,
harvesting, and helping you pick out the best herbs to use)

If we are unable to help you, we can give you suggestions for where to go
next.


Spread the word!
Every Sat 12-2pm @ Camas 2590 Quadra

This service is confidential & totally free! (...donations in the form of
snacks
are always accepted.)









Also new to camas is Earth's herbal organic teas.


Regular Weekly Events @ the Camas Infoshop:




TUESDAYS:


Victoria Anarchist Reading Circle (VARC)

TUESDAYS:

@ 7:20pm. VARC meets weekly to discuss readings and to educate one another about anarchist and anti-authoritarian ideas.

FRIDAYS:

Bi-weekly Film Night

at the Camas Infoshop, beginning this Friday, October 12th (the following one will be Oct. 26). Starts 8pm. Suggested donation $2. Contact Camas: 381-0585


SATURDAYS:


Farmers’ Pocket Market


Weekly Saturdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm. We are the new home to the Quadra/Hillside community’s Pocket Market, selling fresh local produce from organic farmers on Saturdays. Help support local organic farmers while reducing the neighbourhood’s dependence on corporate chain grocery stores. Run by the FoodRoots Co-op. Info: www.foodroots.ca





Monday, September 17, 2007

WE ARE NOW OPEN

Books and zines.


The film screen and social space.


The kids space.


The main desk and 'office'.


View from the front door and T-shirts.


September 1st came and went and we were still finishing some minor renovations and pricing the new and used books, but by the 12th we were ready to open the doors to The Camas Bookstore and Infoshop. A steady flow of people came by during the day they were excited and enthusiastic about the project. The news that something new was happening in the neighborhood had obviously spread, because by time it was my turn to do a shift on the 16th things were buzzing and by the end of the day we had shelves donated from Rogers Video across the road, a growing list of people wanting to volunteer or offer general support and we had taken in enough money to almost cover half of our rent.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

GETTING THE WORD OUT





With September 1st as our opening date, we spent time trying to raise awareness about the project, some of the collective went over to Vancouver for the Under the Volcano festival to table and spread the word about The Camas bookstore and infoshop. ListServe contacts were kept informed of the progress, some volunteers helped out with the renovations, with the bulk of the work being done by the Camas Collective Members. September also being the 2nd annual Anarchist Bookfair and The Festival of Anarchy, so the opening of a bookstore/infoshop like Camas was great timing.
On Wednesday 4th sept. we hosted our first event a film screening, as part on the Festival of Anarchy, Hold Fast is about a group of young anarchist sailors who do up a salvaged boat and sail it from Florida to Haiti. There was a good attendance and things went smoothly for our first event.
The next evening was our 'grand opening' party, although we were not technically open at that point, but with so many people from out of town here for the bookfair and festival, now seemed the perfect time. The party was well attended, lively and energetic, with two kegs and a Black Cat Cafe style open mic stage.There was one really drunk guy trying to set light to a big bag of leaves and sticks right outside of the building, he was told to desist and sling his hook. The cops rolled by around 11pm to say hi, so we closed things down shortly after, not wanting to create undue friction this early on.
The week-end of the bookfair we had a table at the fair with zines and a few books, met some great people, a lot who donated their unsold stock to Camas and a few people came by the space to do some volunteer work to get us closer to our opening date.

Friday, September 14, 2007

FUNDRAISING EVENTS



These three events made over $3,000 for the collective which we have spent on new books from AK Press, renovations and other supplies. The monthly rent is about$1,300, the landlord has given us the first month free, apparently not all landlords are evil.

The Burnt Fort Dinner Party.

The Bad Habits.


Horror Vacui: Silent Art Auction.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

THE STORY SO FAR (as I see it)

A few people had been kicking around the idea of opening up a bookstore/info shop/art space/gallery/kids space/free school/music venue/resource network/a small scale movie theater/ You get the picture there are many possibilities for fun and enjoyment, as well as the more serious task of attempting to change the way things are and extricating ourselves from the suicide pact of late capitalist consumer insanity that we are all trapped in. In August 2007 the lease was signed on a space, which had also been a bookstore and shortly after the renovations began.





WHERE WE STAND

Preamble

Our collective is committed to a non-sexist, non-racist environment, free from harassment, bigotry, and discrimination of all kinds.

We support the un-extinguished sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples over the land we occupy (Coast Salish Territory), and over all of what is now called ‘British Columbia’.

We support a woman’s right to choose, and oppose patriarchy and misogyny in its every manifestation.

We are committed to an active solidarity with those incarcerated or otherwise shackled by the state, and believe in the final abolition of all prisons.

We support the active liberation of all people from poverty, and believe that only by creating true social and economic equality can this be achieved.

We believe that everyone is equal regardless of where they were born, even if they are considered immigrants by the state, and that no one is illegal.

We oppose all imperialist war, and every attempt to impose outside controls and manipulations on people’s freedom to determine their own destinies.

We are opposed to the systemic ecological devastation caused by western civilization, and especially capitalism, which is fuelled by a deeply held human centered world view.

Mission Statement

To promote anti-authoritarian and non-hierarchical beliefs and practices through the distribution of radical publications and politically inspired artwork (clothing, crafts, DVD’s, posters, etc…) and by providing a space for like minded groups to organize and meet in.
To promote critical analysis of and advocate for, alternatives to the exploitative natures and practices of capitalism, colonialism, imperialism and all other forms of exploitation.
To practice and actively encourage socially and environmentally responsible and sustainable behaviour within all aspects of our work and everyday lives.
To support and work co-operatively in association with other anti-authoritarian, and like minded organizations to educate, organize and strengthen our social commitments, both globally and locally.
We support the liberation of all people victimized by our society, be it due to their age, ability, class, race, gender or sexual preference. Human diversity must be respected and cherished, not suppressed.
We see our venue as a powerful tool for social transformation, community building, exercising control over local economies, and as key in assisting and supporting the ongoing development of work for radical alternatives and systemic change.
We operate in a non-hierarchical way, utilizing consensus and egalitarian methods of organization, thought and action.
We strive to create a space that is inclusive, that celebrates and respects all
diversity.
To raise awareness that our current way of life is unsustainable and to support and engage in projects and activities that foster long term survival and
connection within our bio-region, such as permaculture, food sovereignty,
resource autonomy, sustainable agriculture, and re-wilding.