Bloodroot’s Selma Miriam and Noel Furie on keeping their collective open for decades
Noel Furie and Selma Miriam of Bloodroot Feminist Restaurant and Bookstore in Bridgeport, CT. Photo by Jane Shauck for Plate Magazine.
Bloodroot—a lesbian-owned feminist restaurant and bookstore with a seasonal vegetarian menu—opened in 1977 in a remote, residential neighborhood of Bridgeport, Conn. Established as a collective, members of the early years contributed 60-hour work weeks, sharing duties and planning events that included Women-Only Wednesdays, book groups, and weaving classes.
Decades and over 200 members and employees later, owners Selma Miriam and Noel Furie remain the last members managing any of the original 1970s collectives. Yet today, a growing number of operators are again finding it essential to put their identity politics on the frontline—and to shape their business model around them. But according to Miriam and Furie, the secret to longevity is more about defying standard hospitality-industry protocols and staying focused on the food.
