Very common. Queer bookstores often had coffee shops in them and would serve something basic like sandwhiches. If you weren’t a club goer and didn’t want to join a choir or sport steam, that’s often where you would meet other queer people before everyone had the internet in their pocket. They would host speakers/seminars, networking events, board game nights, an acoustic act or two, the fact that they sold books was often secondary.
I think a lot of “Pride Centres” started as bookstores.
My hometown has a bookstore like this. It’s open every day of the year and was the first business in the town to display a pride flag. The lady who runs the store is a bloody hometown hero who is forefront to organizing both the small town Pride and the Mural festival. They partner with the local animal shelter to foster adoptable cats in the store and whenever you purchase a book you get a poker chip to determine where a small portion of the sale gets donated to pick between three non-profit options.
It sells all manner of gifts from quill pens and fancy dice to LGBTQIA+ jewelry and does new and used books. Back before other businesses started showing support as being safe places it was the one. The town it is in is majority conservative and the people who work and frequent the shop are known to be grassroots fighters who show up to city councils to fight for all manner of progressive causes. Whenever I go back to my hometown I visit that store and I buy at least one glossy new book or a cool set of dice.
It has not been easy as over the years the store has been physically attacked. It’s had windows smashed and employees targeted by bigots… But everytime I’m in there I see happy faces on teens and adults excitedly browsing or chatting who love the place.
It is possible to make these places but it requires a lot of support. It’s not enough to just run a business, you gotta make a networked community who protects you back.
Potentially libraries could fill that spot (even though they aren’t places of business that 3rd places usually are. And even though a lot of libraries still have a long way to go before they can really be called friendly/save spaces by minorities).
Thnx. I did channel a bit of criticism, which is readily mistaken for malicious intent nowadays. Internet discussions really suffer from tribalism today.
Thanks again for the insight, though, fascinating but of history!
Weird that that bookstore is open at night
Very common. Queer bookstores often had coffee shops in them and would serve something basic like sandwhiches. If you weren’t a club goer and didn’t want to join a choir or sport steam, that’s often where you would meet other queer people before everyone had the internet in their pocket. They would host speakers/seminars, networking events, board game nights, an acoustic act or two, the fact that they sold books was often secondary.
I think a lot of “Pride Centres” started as bookstores.
I wish we still had this sort of thing in general (a non-corporate 3rd place that holds events).
My hometown has a bookstore like this. It’s open every day of the year and was the first business in the town to display a pride flag. The lady who runs the store is a bloody hometown hero who is forefront to organizing both the small town Pride and the Mural festival. They partner with the local animal shelter to foster adoptable cats in the store and whenever you purchase a book you get a poker chip to determine where a small portion of the sale gets donated to pick between three non-profit options.
It sells all manner of gifts from quill pens and fancy dice to LGBTQIA+ jewelry and does new and used books. Back before other businesses started showing support as being safe places it was the one. The town it is in is majority conservative and the people who work and frequent the shop are known to be grassroots fighters who show up to city councils to fight for all manner of progressive causes. Whenever I go back to my hometown I visit that store and I buy at least one glossy new book or a cool set of dice.
It has not been easy as over the years the store has been physically attacked. It’s had windows smashed and employees targeted by bigots… But everytime I’m in there I see happy faces on teens and adults excitedly browsing or chatting who love the place.
It is possible to make these places but it requires a lot of support. It’s not enough to just run a business, you gotta make a networked community who protects you back.
Potentially libraries could fill that spot (even though they aren’t places of business that 3rd places usually are. And even though a lot of libraries still have a long way to go before they can really be called friendly/save spaces by minorities).
Also just common with many bookstores generally. There are a lot of bookstores open at night. It’s a weird take.
I wasn’t aware of this, though there aren’t many small bookstores around here
Ok was unaware of that cultural phenomenon
They stopped being common place just before my time, so it would sense for you to have never experienced them.
There isn’t a good reason for people have down-voted you.
Thnx. I did channel a bit of criticism, which is readily mistaken for malicious intent nowadays. Internet discussions really suffer from tribalism today.
Thanks again for the insight, though, fascinating but of history!
We have a bookstore (Waterstones) open until 22:00 near me.