The Big Idea Bookstore and Cafe

The store was cozy and the vibe was cool, but there’s really not a variety of books (I mean, how many vegan cookbooks does one need?). I stop in any bookstore I can find, and the books here are a tad overpriced. If you’re looking for somewhere to hang out and talk about how wrong it is to conform to gender roles, this is your bookstore. If you’re looking to actually look at varied topics of books, I’d go elsewhere.

This is such an awesome bookstore and I am so glad that this store exists!
The store is pretty small, but it is well stocked with an excellent variety of books, particularly of those you won’t find at your local Barnes and Noble. The Big Idea is similar to Left Bank Books in Seattle, WA, except on a smaller scale. If you’re looking for that Noam Chomsky book, or an AK Press release, or an arcane book on eco-​fuels, radical feminism, or inequality in education, the Black Panthers, or local zines, this is the bookstore for you.
The café has a good selection of teas and vegan treats (yay!!!). There are also a few small tables in the back of the store which I can say is sufficient for several hours of studying. The bookstore also seemed to host small meetings for various groups and they are never disruptive if you are studying or browsing.
If you’re looking for parking, there’s street parking on the side of the store, or better yet, just catch the bus. The bookstore is near Children’s Hospital and several busses run near the bookstore.
The hours were a bit wonky — I drove by once on a weekend during posted open hours but the bookstore was closed (there was nothing on the Facebook page about the store being closed either), so if you are making a special trip out to the bookstore, I’d recommend calling in advance first.

I really like the atmosphere of this bookstore – I definitely agree with others’ sentiment that is ‘anti-​establishment’. With that in mind, there are some very interesting book categories. I found intriguing new books at the front of the store, and a cute nook at the back of the store with marked down used books. It is rather small as you might imagine, which is perhaps my only complaint as less space equates to less books! :-) I will return when I can do so, though. I did not try anything from the café.

Can I describe this place as bad ass? Is that allowed?
Haha wow, total «against the grain» place here. I suggest having an open mind or you will get on here and right a one star review!

I absolutely love the Big Idea. I went to a phone conference here once and it was really awesome. I’m glad they do a lot of social political activism. I can never go into big idea without buying something. They have everything from gender politics to vegan cookbooks to fiction, zines and more! My one complaint is that it seems that when they sell a book, they don’t buy a replacement for it, which I understand to an extent, but then if you want them to order in a book it takes a few weeks to a month of two for the books to come in. If you’re involved with a punk/​subculture/​feminist/​DIY/​anarcho scene this is the place to stop in Pittsburgh. And it’s run by volunteers!

You know, every once in a while I go to an establishment where I have conflicting feelings from 2 of my personalities. Overall, I feel that I’m a pretty laid back guy who isn’t incredibly sophisticated and doesn’t sweat the small stuff. However, I feel that I definitely draw the line at a certain point– and that point today was that I prefer not to enter an establishment whose baristas serve tea and goodies barefoot. I’m going to set the stage here. I’ve wanted to stop in this place for quite a while. I was enjoying the beautiful weather today and I got my bike out and decided to head over there. I walked in and immediately enjoyed the place: it was very anti-​establishment, a nice and cozy non-​profit shop (I think it’s run by volunteers) — and sat down to enjoy a great cup of lavender tea. I even walked around and perused a couple sections of the small library of books. It wasn’t until I sat down that I noticed that the guy behind the counter was barefoot. At first I simply tilted my head out of curiosity, but the more I thought about it the more it bothered me. I wouldn’t say I’m a stickler for the rules, but this has to be breaking some health code. At one point this guy even walked to the bathroom and back. As much as I want for this not to be a big deal to me, I just can’t get past it. Just as I was about to write a glowing 4-​star review of this place, the horror and image of the bare feet and all of the amazingly intricate battles my two selves were having came to mind (and they involved communities of bacteria from the toilet seat rearing their ugly heads into my cup of tea). Sorry guys, maybe anarchism wasn’t as cool (or clean) as I originally thought.

You really can’t say no to a giant french press of tea or coffee for two dollars. Not to mention, everyone I’ve ever interacted with here has been kind. And secretly badass.

The Big Idea is not for everyone; if you like your food processed and your ideas pre-​packaged, you might find yourself out of your element here. But if you think «radical» is a synonym for «interesting» and you want want some of the best pizzelle cookies I’ve had in Pittsburgh, it’s worth stopping in.
The inside is cozy, and while they don’t have a huge selection, they do delve deeply into areas (like gender politics, the politics of race) that many bookstores don’t fully address. But they also have ‘zines, literature, even a travel section. The best way to describe what they carry is «thought-​provoking,» in a good way. Why not really engage with what you read, question what you know? You can get a Jackie Collins novel anywhere, but if you but if you want to read bell hooks or Tim Wise, this is the place to go.

Big Idea is one of those shops that just seems like a perfect addition to Pittsburgh, in my mind anyway. Seriously, if you like tea, vegan munchies and books, then this is a shop for you!
The book selection on display here alone is worth browsing — there are literally shelves and shelves of books lining the majority of the walls in the shop. And the range of things covered by these books stretches from fiction stories like «The Hunger Games» and famous sci-​fi titles to history and philosophy topics. There’s definitely a wide range of options so I think anyone could find something good to read here if they come with an open mind.
As for the café portion of the shop, I love their tea selections, and all of their food is made from local, organic, seasonal, fair trade, and/​or sustainable sourced ingredients. All of their food is vegan as well, so while it can taste a little different to the uninitiated on a first visit (which was me once upon a time), their options really grow on you if you give them a chance. Big Idea is admittedly a small-​scale operation so sometimes they’re a little low on food, but that’s totally forgivable. They make a mean hummus and pita snack, and the staff — all volunteers — are super nice and will do whatever they can to help you; they’ve even offered to carry my tea back to me once it’s done brewing!
I’ve definitely come to love this cool little shop more and more over the past year, and now I stop in at least once a month for my tea, snack and book fix. I say stop on in and open your mind and tastebuds, and you’ll love this cozy little place as much as I do.

I agree with Mat. Good atmosphere here, friendly volunteer, good location and comfortable for lounging.

Waitwaitwait, I’ve gotta be dreaming…
.an anarchist bookstore with more than 3 people in it at a time?
.an anarchist bookstore with women by themselves in it?
.an anarchist bookstore with (gasp) non-​white people in it?
.an anarchist bookstore with a super cute (be still my heart) volunteer?
.an anarchist bookstore with a post-​apocalypse science-​fiction section?
.an anarchist bookstore with a comfortable upstairs reading/​lounging area?
I have a Big Idea. Y’all should write a «How to Run an Anarchist Bookstore» zine and get the word out.
Bonus points for having an addiction zine written by one of the girls from Bikini Kill.