Under the Umbrella Bookstore and Cafe — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

I had a lovely first experience at This store, and I wanted to share it with you all!

I came out as transgender in March of this year, and it has truly been a journey. Journey is the only word that feels right, because in interesting ways it has been both harder and easier than I thought it would be.

Back in March, I heard about this store and all the good it does for the LGBTQIA+ community, but I was afraid to visit. There was even one time when I had the morning free and worked up the courage to go, but I forgot to check the hours and they weren’t open! Totally fine, I get it. But still, that discouraged me from trying again for a while.

This morning, August 9th, I finally made it, and I actually planned ahead too (lol). I was prepared to spend a while there, but for my own personal reasons, I realized I wasn’t totally comfortable. Still, I browsed in a space that was clearly doing so much to make me feel welcome.

And this weekend has just been one of those “harder than I thought” weekends for me. I found a few books I thought would be really interesting and went to check out.The staff was perfectly lovely. They invited me to join the loyalty program, which I did, and then informed me that because I had spent enough, I was eligible for a free bouquet of flowers. But it wasn’t like an impartial, “You are eligible for some free flowers.” They phrased it as, “You can have some flowers, would you like a bouquet?” That little shift in wording really touched me, and I began to cry.

The staff was respectful and pretended not to notice as I blubbered out, “Yes, I would love some,” took them, and rushed out the door as politely as I could.You see, I spent 15 years managing restaurants, including one particularly homophobic chicken restaurant that is known for either being supportive of hate groups or, among cishet people, for being excellent at customer service. So I recognize that the team was probably giving me an elevated but uniform customer experience, something everyone likely receives because the staff seemed like they were good at their jobs. I also know they couldn’t have possibly known how much I’ve been struggling with validation, both internally and externally, as I navigate what transition looks like for me.

But I have lived 35 years, and no one has ever offered me flowers. Until this morning, I didn’t even realize how badly I wanted that. The fact that it was part of a promotion did not cheapen how deeply it affirmed my identity and made me feel special.

The folx at this store are doing huge, important, and incredible things. Some of those things might feel tiny and small to them, but they are life-changing. They have a customer for life in me, and they earned that by creating a space where marginalized people can have an elevated customer experience, no matter...

Under the Umbrella is such a great local book store and I wholeheartedly recommend it to both locals and visitors.

I've been a frequent visitor to the store as they have so much to offer: they have a variety from adult fiction and nonfiction, YA, to children's books! They also sell cute stickers, patches, and pins, and other goods from local artists or other LGBTQ+ artists that vendor here and I just love the variety. This is a great spot for shopping for unique gifts and always think about what I can get a friend or family member here. The store is easy to navigate and designed for accessibility and also very clean. Even the gender neutral bathroom is one of the cleanest I've been in! Kaitlyn, the store owner, treats every customer with amazing service, understanding, and friendliness. They are an incredible person!

Not only is this place a great store, but an amazing community hub. They do more than books - they host great events, book clubs, now have a cafe as of November 2023! I can't forget to mention I had one of the best iced vanilla lattes with oat milk here! They provide coffee and goods from other LGBTQ+ businesses like tea, their coffee beans, and their baked goods. For example: vegan breakfast burritos and gluten-free tiramisu! What more could you ask for to create a cozy bookstore experience? Bring your latest book purchase in and read it over a nice cup of brewed coffee! I know I'll be finding the time to work remotely in the cafe soon.

Please note: they are requiring masks for all patrons in the shop area, but they have free ones available if you don't have one. The cafe section is separate from the bookstore, so please bring a mask or take a free one when you walk in. Please respect this rule as it's to help others and for the overall health of all customers and volunteers that help out...

Checked this place out while traveling in SLC - lovely welcoming store, good range of books from non-fiction (including cookbooks!) to fiction (including young adult and manga) and lots of fun little stuff that is good for a gift - even if you’re just buying yourself a present.

If we were local we’d probably go to more events there, it looks like they have a bunch of interesting things, and we really appreciate that masks are still required as my partner and I are both high risk and it’s wonderfully relaxing to go somewhere knowing for sure you won’t get hassled for doing what you need to do to take care of yourself - be it masks or a way of dressing that expresses your gender, etc.

I was also happy to see a display of books and gifts to do with asexuality and aromantic orientations. A lot of LGBTQIA+ places seem to either forget the A on the end there.

On the subject of ‘A’ words, I should add they do also have a nice section on allyship and also on parenting but not just for people with lgbtqia+ kids, but also books on raising kids who are accepting of differences.

(They also had a little room that I forgot to check out -distracted by books! - that had a bunch of small tables and looked like you could probably hang out there for a while if you just wanted to chill, too. Go, take a laptop, work on a book that will eventually be stocked on...