Millions of people have been entertained by the satirical "Portlandia" feminist bookstore sketches filmed at Northeast Portland's In Other Words feminist community center. But at a general meeting called at the feminist bookstore and community resource center on Sunday morning, the mood was serious, as board members explained the challenges threatening the continued existence of the nonprofit organization.

Board member and treasurer Madeline Jaross said that In Other Words had faced declining financial resources for the past few years. It has "kept going due to desperate attempts by a very small handful of people that are trying so hard," Jaross said. "And it's not working."

Without "extraordinary circumstances," Jaross said, "I haven't seen a path that we can continue."

Unless a major influx of new board members, volunteers and donations were forthcoming, Jaross said, In Other Words would have to close. "Feb. 28 would be the best day for us to dissolve, because that's the end of our lease."

During the meeting, board members spoke about the difficulty of trying to keep In Other Words going with so few resources, and opened the floor for questions, feedback, ideas and suggestions.

"This will not be the meeting to decide the fate of In Other Words," said Jaross. There will be a follow-up meeting on Nov. 8, she said, to discuss what the future will be. In the meantime, Jaross encouraged those in attendance to spread the word about the store's needs, and to consider joining the board and stepping up to volunteer for open positions that need to be filled to sustain In Other Words' operations.

Jaross and fellow board member Jane Knechtel have both served beyond their two-year terms as members of the board. The third board member, Allison Specter, has only been in the position for about a month. The chair of the board resigned last week, leaving In Other Words with only three board members, the minimum number required by law for a nonprofit.

Knechtel spoke about the difficulty of trying to maintain In Other Words with such a small board and with member turnover. "People are so burned out by the time they leave the board that there's no institutional knowledge." She stressed that while the board needs new members, it's "not something to take lightly."

Specter agreed that board members have to "committed to running the space."

Asked how In Other Words came to be under such financial burdens -- Jaross estimated the store is losing $600 a month -- Knechtel and Jaross pointed to the loss a few years ago of textbook-sales revenue, which cut total income nearly in half.

Knechtel added that while the IFC comedy series "Portlandia" -- which films its "Women and Women First" feminist bookstore sketches featuring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein at In Other Words -- had raised awareness of the store, that hasn't translated to a financial windfall.

"'Portlandia' has given the space the illusion that we're rolling in money," Knechtel said. And while the show does pay a fee to film there, that only happens two or three times in a year. "We are not rolling in money from 'Portlandia,' and we never have been."

A general meeting to discuss the future of Northeast Portland's In Other Words feminist community center on Sunday morning included sheets of paper passed around for attendees to write down ideas.

As the meeting concluded, those in attendance were given large pieces of paper and colored markers to write down ideas for the space, and sign-up sheets for volunteer positions were passed around.

Nicole Langley, 30, has been volunteering at In Other Words for a few months, and said she was still processing all the information brought up at the meeting.

"I studied womens' studies at Portland State, and remember when the store was on Hawthorne," said Langley."It's been part of my feminist upbringing."

In Other Words was founded in 1993, and moved to its current location at 14 N.E. Killingsworth St. in 2006. According to a story in Bitch magazine that ran earlier this year, In Other Words is one of only nine feminist bookstores in the U.S.

Claire Palermo, 25, is a newer Portland resident, having moved here from Southern California in April. She quickly became aware of In Other Words, and signed up for the volunteer roster. On her piece of paper, Palermo wrote down suggestions including improving the volunteer welcome process.

Palermo has experience working in other nonprofits, she said, and she said it seemed that In Other Words may suffer from issues that arise in other such organizations, such as lack of consistent volunteer support, and volunteer burnout. But the turnout at the meeting, Palermo said, indicated that there is still a hunger in the community for the feminist space, and energy to try and address problems.

Jaross thanked attendees for coming, and for "an incredible show of support for the organization." Knechtel and Specter added that they need by know by the Nov. 8 meeting whether they can muster the volunteer and community support necessary before they take steps to implement ideas and suggestions.

In closing, the meeting facilitator asked all of those in the room to sum up their feelings with one word. One by one, the attendees spoke. Some of the words they used:

"Change." "Confusion." "Responsibility." "Inclusive." "Inspired." "Momentum." "Gratitude." "Empowered." "Conflicted." "Transformation." "Hope." "Metamorphosis."

-- Kristi Turnquist