Meet Nathan Allen | Managing Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathan Allen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My husband and I started Underdog Bookstore with our future kids in mind. We looked at our jobs, we looked at our community, and we looked at anti-LGBTQ sentiment growing in both our state and our nation and decided that we needed to make sure that we were making our community safe for our future kids. So, I quit my job and invested into making a safe space in my city. Underdog Bookstore focuses on the voices of those who we consider underdogs – underrepresented authors, small presses, and local vendors. It is a place where everyone who finds themselves ostracized can find a home. And, it has become an extension of our own home in the short time we’ve owned it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career has been focused on kids from the beginning. I was a math teacher, curriculum developer, and eventually an after-school franchise director. Through each position, I consistently faced homophobic comments from a variety of sources along with, on the more positive side, amazing education and support from my supervisors. I am now proud to be “fighting back” – to have a queer presence in a conservative city and build a business without homophobia hidden somewhere up the chain. We’ve been called pedophiles and worse for simply having drag story times in our bookstores. We are proud to shield those within our doors from outside hate.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love downtown Monrovia. It is really a quaint little small town hidden in Los Angeles County. I’d take them to some of our favorite restaurants like Thai Thyme and to the candy store, Sweet Ethans. I’d also show off the library because it is beautiful, and our librarians are wonderful. I’d also love to take them to the Huntington Library and to some of our favorite vegan haunts in Pasadena like Real Food Daily and Sage Vegan Bistro.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to give a shout-out to two specific entrepreneurs that we have partnered with. First, I’d like to give credit to Jonny Liu from Mantra Coffee in Azusa who encouraged us to create a space focused on representing marginalized communities. I’d also like to give a shout out to Jan Delos Santos, owner of the wonderful sticker & stationary company Maarte, who has consistently been one of our best supporters, vendors, and customers.

Website: www.underdogbookstore.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underdogbookstore/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/underdog-bookstore-55a05a283/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089589794619

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/underdog-bookstore-monrovia

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@underdogbookstore

Image Credits
I own all images.