A five-year anniversary for any small business is a milestone worth celebrating. But for book/alt-comic/graphic novel/art shop Lion’s Tooth, 2421 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., a five-year anniversary is doubly notable. Why? Well, Lion’s Tooth is celebrating its fifth year in its Bay View home in March 2026. Simply do the math.
“We had launched as a subscription service in 2019, and we had raised $11,000 from a GoFundMe,” says Lion’s Tooth co-owner Cris Siqueira. “And then the pandemic hit in 2020, and we were like, ‘Oh no.'”
Yes, while Lion’s Tooth had already made a name for itself at Sugar Maple pop-ups and events like Beat Street and Hover Craft, it began its search for a brick-and-mortar location during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a time that seems almost surreal to Siqueira and her fellow co-owner Shelly McClone-Carriere.
“As we started looking for a place during the pandemic, our realtor would splash us with hand sanitizer,” Siqueira remembers.
2019
But find a home Siqueira and McClone-Carriere did, eventually landing on a former tattoo parlor on Kinnickinnic Avenue. (Other locations the duo toured during the pandemic: an antiques mall, stores in Riverwest and Washington Heights, the future Bad Moon Saloon, and the former Baby Boomers in Bay View.)
“This space was a little bit smaller than what we were originally planning,” McClone-Carriere says. “We were looking for a space where we could have performances in the bookstore, like music. But it kind of worked out magically. It’s the perfect size.”
Lion’s Tooth officially opened its doors on March 15, 2021—a year into the pandemic, and still subject to strict social distancing measures. In fact, opening its doors was about the only thing Lion’s Tooth could do.
“People were only allowed in the front door,” McClone-Carriere laughs. “The inspectors said customers could only go in the front door but couldn’t go up the steps.”
But that’s all in the past. Today, Lion’s Tooth proudly stands as a female- and immigrant-owned bookstore beloved by the entire city, with particular support from the queer and trans community. And on Sunday, March 8, Siqueira and McClone-Carriere will celebrate their five-year brick-and-mortar anniversary with a birthday bash and fundraiser at Cactus Club. McClone-Carriere’s book-themed band will play (Middle Reader). Siqueira’s Portuguese punk band will play (Spidora). McClone-Carriere and Siqueira’s joint band will play (Mostly). Front-room music will be provided by Rum Revere, WMSE’s Middle Age Riot DJs, and Brock Gourlie and Jess Ader. Tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door.
“It’s gonna be a blast,” Siqueira says. “We’ll see if I’m still standing by the end of it.”
Lion’s Tooth is a lot of things—a bookstore, an underground comic and graphic novel shop, a mini art gallery—but its true strength comes from something it couldn’t even offer when it first opened: in-person connection. Book clubs, author events, poetry readings, teen comic schools, and just chatting over a drink from the store’s cozy bar have been crucial in establishing Lion’s Tooth’s identity.
“I think people are just hungry for community,” McClone-Carriere says. “With everything that’s happening in the world, things like our book clubs have just been really great conversations. There’s a person who comes to all the book clubs from Wauwatosa. They’re looking for people to talk about stuff and to be present, to find joy, to laugh.”
“It’s always an experience when you come in,” Siqueira says. “We like to chat. If somebody is looking at something, we’ll talk to them about it. And it’s not just because we’re trying to sell. We oftentimes recommend books that we don’t have.”
Of course, the realties of life in 2026 make running any small business a challenge. Running Lion’s Tooth is no different, Siqueira and McClone-Carriere say, but their challenges don’t come from a lack of love.
“We’re seeing the store have so much success and growth. We have the support and the love of the community, but the costs grow more. It’s like two steps forward and one step backwards,” Siqueira says. “There’s a genre of videos on social media where people are saying, ‘I’m closing my store because the community didn’t show up! Love doesn’t pay the bills!’ We’re not like that. People support us. The problem is the cost of living in general, which everybody is feeling.”
“I always tell people to support what makes your Milwaukee,” McClone-Carriere adds. “Small businesses make Milwaukee beautiful. They make Milwaukee a place where I want to live.”
The call-to-action is simple, Siqueira and McClone-Carriere say: Come into the store and put your money where your heart is. Buy a book, buy a comic, buy a print. And beyond that, take advantage of the many events and programs that make Lion’s Tooth, well, Lion’s Tooth. They’ve been key to the store’s first five years, and they’ll be key to its next five and beyond.
“We’ve had so many events here, so many authors and music shows, so many things that have happened in this space” Siqueira says. “And it feels more and more like our home. I think it felt like our home right away, but now I feel like everybody who comes in, they’re coming into our home. It’s like we’re hosting a party every day.”
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