‘Portlandia’: Real Life Feminist Bookstore Angrily Cuts Ties With the Comedy Series
Guess we can name one establishment in Portland that is no longer interested in putting a bird on anything, especially anything related to the comedy series “Portlandia.” CBS News reports that In Other Words, a Portland-area bookstore that has long served as the real-life inspiration and actual filming location of a bookstore that appears in the IFC comedy show, has angrily cut ties with the series.
READ MORE: Watch: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein Actually Have Sex in ‘Portlandia’ Season 6
Per CBS’ report on this somewhat surprising and very “Portlandia”-esque turn of events, “the bookstore said filming the show left its business a mess, staff mistreated and neighboring businesses sometimes forced to close for a day ‘without warning.'”
The store has reportedly been suffering financial hardships for a number of years and is currently fundraising in hopes of staying open. Per the outlet, though the store “was given a ‘small’ flat fee per episode, the bookstore said it didn’t cover profits lost by the store having to remain closed for filming. The bookstore claimed that exposure from the show doesn’t provide financial or political support of any kind.” Instead of their small screen fame translating to big bucks and new customers, In Other Words says that they’ve only been besieged by lookie-loos and gawkers, not engaged patrons.
Moreover, a statement from the store’s management also asserts that they object to the show’s content, “which is in every way diametrically opposed to our politics and the vision of society we’re organizing to realize. A show which has had a net negative effect on our neighborhood and the city of Portland as a whole.” Their objections seem to stem from their belief that the show — including the segments that take place in the store itself, in which stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein typically portray bookstore owners with a decidedly “Portlandia” bent to their opinions — are “trans-antagonistic” and “trans-misogynist.” In those segments, Armisen portrays a female character.
As of now, the people behind In Other Words has made their decision pretty damn clear, as they recently hung a sign outside that proclaimed their position in two little words: “Fuck ‘Portlandia.'”
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