It seems the independent book stores are a thing of the past. First it was Barnes and Noble taking over the city. That is even a thing of the past. Many of the B & N in New York City are gone as with other book stores. Do you remember the movie “ You’ve Got Mail” about Joe who belongs to the Fox family that runs Fox Books, a chain of mega bookstores. The story involves Kathleen’s small children’s book store against the mega Fox Books.
Many buy their books on line. Either you are reading on a kindle ( which I can’t do) or you are buying on line from Amazon. I still prefer to read a hard cover book.
Then there is the specialty bookstores. The specialty independent: the bookstore that services a specific clientele, with curated offerings to fit the community. Sometimes, that community is the LGBT community—and that’s when we get the queer bookstore. This is not a porn store.. so don’t go there.
The places are treasure troves of rare and under-appreciated books. They are where you can find the entire breadth of gay YA, every trans autobiography, and all the lesbian graphic novels your heart desires. More than that, they stand as community pillars, providing access to the representation which we so often thirst for. There are very few if any of these specialty bookstores . The “ Different Light” book store off of 6th Avenue was a dear book store in New York of long ago. Rainbow and Triangles on 8th Aver used to have a selection, but unfortunately also gone. In 1973, Craig Rodwell moved his Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop, the first gay and lesbian bookstore in America, from its original home on Mercer Street to a prominent location on Christopher Street, near the center of New York City’s gay life. Now gone. There is specialty bookstore in the LGBTQ center on west 13th street which is still open. There are even fewer non LGBTQ bookstores in the city . Do your homework
Since life has changed since COVID, you may find yourself searching for the specialty bookstore and a lot more.
Until tomororow…
The shop occupied this site for over 35 years.