Look, I am not automatically inclined to tell a business owner how to run their operation. It is their money, their venture— run things as you see fit. If anything, I have encouraged this brand of self-reliance. Often, when leftist activists command that a business cater to a particular group or forcibly demand particular levels of inclusion, I have stated that if they feel that strongly about this being a viable plan, then they should back their thoughts with their own cash and sweat equity and go for it.

Such is the case with the rather Bohemian-themed business in Miami, Paradis Books, which opened in 2021. This was a bookshop and wine emporium that served food and encouraged a communal setting with an avowed left-leaning flair to it. Notice the past tense use there? This is because the shop has just announced they are closing down after some internal struggles and a particularly tumultuous year in business.

That tumult was largely self-created. It was barely one year ago when the news spread about the proprietors of Paradis Books demanding that a Fox News personality, Gianno Caldwell, leave their establishment. They declared that hearing Caldwell and his guests discussing topics they disagreed with warranted their expulsion from the liberal tilting business. 

Caldwell posted about his experience on social media, and a wave of reaction followed.

I can't believe what just happened. I met up with friends for breakfast at Paradis Books and Bread in North Miami & while we were having discussions about politics we were told by the owner that we were not welcomed there because we aren't politically aligned. Outrageous.

— Gianno Caldwell (@GiannoCaldwell) January 21, 2023

What is striking about the incident is who was the aggressor. The shop had proclaimed that “forms of harm and/or oppression will not be tolerated” within their doors. And yet, here they were telling a black patron he was not welcome. It seems that on the laundry list of categories they sought to support, one thing not listed was conservatism; turns out that is something that cannot be tolerated. Tellingly, we once again see that amid claims that Trump, Republicans, Fox News, or conservatives, in general, are fueling the divisiveness in this country, the intolerant actions are coming from the Left.

Amusingly, a local weekly paper described the incident in an expectedly left-leaning fashion. The Miami New Times, at the time, declared that Caldwell was a “flamethrower” who was behind “a local small business being put on blast on network TV.” And, of course, the owners of Paradis (described as “a Marxist Miami wine bar”) were granted all manner of rebutting the allegations and framed in sympathetic fashion.

Caldwell's group had been "talking about women in degrading ways, as well as using eugenic arguments around their thoughts on Roe v. Wade" and that "their behavior and their words made other folks in the space as well as one of us working very uncomfortable.”

In its letter of departure, the shop’s ownership alluded to numerous influences behind the decision to close down. Two of the five original partners had previously pulled out, there were ongoing familial issues with those remaining, and the operation was shifting due to an unplanned increase in food service apart from its book-wine focus. But also a significant — and possibly the main — factor was the fallout from the Caldwell controversy.

In its exit missive, the owners cited the opposition they have been facing. "To our haters, we suppose congratulations are in order, so you can go ahead and stop reading now!" Since Caldwell’s contretemps, the establishment faced significant social pushback. Social media, ratings sites, and other outlets made the bookshop a target, and the owners also stated they received personal calls and threats. No one is condoning that level of reaction. 

At the same time, this is something invited upon the shop through its actions, as well as a common tool seen from the activist left. We often hear stories of activists online targeting businesses through either professional harassment, picketing, delivering harsh ratings on Yelp or similar sites, and other forms of attack. This is hardly isolated to the right.

It needs to be stated, however, that this was invited upon the business by the actions of the owners. The inability of these proprietors to tolerate having a customer(s) with differing positions in their midst is, again, their prerogative, but they should also expect ramifications. If you are an avowed leftist business — moreso a Marxist one — you are, by announcement, culling your potential customer base. One would think clinging to the claim of tolerance would be necessary to bring in as many customers as possible.

Yet here was a supposed close-minded Fox News personality willing to frequent a local business — one with stated opposing viewpoints — where he is a resident and potential returning customer with a social outreach, and he was instead banished in order to make a point. Well, it appears that one of the points the owners wanted to make was that turning a profit was lower on their priority list than where it should have been placed.