Philly AIDS Thrift at Giovanni's Room

Last updated
Philly AIDS Thrift at Giovanni's Room
Company typeBookstore
Founded1973
FounderBern Boyle
Dan Sherbo
Tom Wilson Weinberg  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Headquarters
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
United States
Historic Bookstore
Street map of Philadelphia and surrounding area.png
Red pog.svg
Location345 S. 12th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
Coordinates 39°56′42″N75°09′41″W / 39.94501°N 75.16128°W / 39.94501; -75.16128 (Giovanni's Room)
PHMC dedicatedOctober 15, 2011
Website www.queerbooks.com

Philly AIDS Thrift at Giovanni's Room, also known as PAT @ Giovanni's Room and formerly known as Giovanni's Room Bookstore, [1] [2] [3] is a gay bookstore in Philadelphia. It has been called the "center of gay Philly". [4] Founded in 1973 in Philadelphia, Giovanni's Room Bookstore was named after James Baldwin's gay novel Giovanni's Room .

Contents

Philly AIDS Thrift, a 501c3 non-profit thrift store founded in 2005, [5] took ownership of the store after former owner Ed Hermance retired in 2014, thus leading to the store being known now as Philly AIDS Thrift at Giovanni's Room, also known as PAT @ Giovanni's Room. [1] [2] [3]

Location

Giovanni's Room Bookstore was located on the corner of 12th and Pine Street in Philadelphia's Gayborhood. The main building was built in 1820, and the second building, which became part of the store several years after the store opened, was built in the 1880s. The store was originally located on South Street and changed locations often in its first few years. It relocated to 345 South 12th Street in 1979. [6]

Description

During its initial establishment, Giovanni's Room only had approximately 100 titles, which included works from notable queer authors such as James Baldwin, Gertrude Stein, and Willa Cather. [7] A couple years later, the store would grow to over 15,000 titles dedicated towards not only gay men and women, but also feminist, transgender, and bisexual topics. [8] Book categories include gay men and women biographies, nonfiction tell-alls, sex-safe books, and muscle magazines. [9]

Since becoming Philly AIDS Thrift at Giovanni's Room, the owners would then continue the legacy of the bookstore, while also sustaining their former business. Philly AIDS Thrift expanded their collection to include music, artwork, comics, clothing and much more. For their collection of books, Philly AIDS Thrift has 7,000 titles on shelves and a database of 48,000 works that are sold internationally, which contains queer books new and used alike. [10] Former owner Ed Hermance stated, "In one year, we sold books to 88 bookstores in 17 countries," which include countries in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. [11]

Second floor of Giovanni's Room FloorTwoGiovanni'sRoom.jpg
Second floor of Giovanni's Room

History

Giovanni's Room Historical Marker Giovanni's Room Historical Marker 345 S 12th St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3217).jpg
Giovanni's Room Historical Marker

In August 1973, three Gay Activist Alliance (GAA) members, Tom Wilson Weinberg, Dan Sherbo and Bern Boyle, opened Giovanni's Room at 232 South Street. [6] [7] At the time, Giovanni's Room was the second LGBTQ books store in the country. [12] The store was closed shortly afterward due to a homophobic landlord.

The store changed hands to lesbian activist and artist Pat Hill in September 1975. During Hill's time as owner of Giovanni's Room, she expanded what the store had to offer for lesbian and feminist works recommended by the community at Giovanni's. [7]

Following the 40th anniversary of the store's opening, Hill gave ownership to Ed Hermance and Arleen Olshan in 1976. [6] Hermance and Olshan moved the store first to 1426 Spruce Street and then to its final location on 12th and Pine in 1979. [4] Olshan left the partnership in 1984.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission unveiled a marker on Sunday, October 15, 2011, to commemorate the location of Giovanni’s Room, as it is the country's first LGBT bookstore still operating. [13] [14]

In April 2014 the store's owner of 38 years, Ed Hermance, announced his retirement plans and closed the store on May 17, 2014. [15] [4] He soon after made an agreement with Philly AIDS Thrift, and they held a grand reopening of the store as its proprietor on October 10th to coincide with Philadelphia Outfest, the city's annual gay block party. [16]

During the COVID lock down Giovanni's Room started focusing on e-commerce to remain open and now post lock down is seeing an increase in in-person sales. As of 2024, there has been a mass surge in sales. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay Activists Alliance</span> U.S. gay rights organization (1969–1981)

The Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) was founded in New York City on December 21, 1969, almost six months after the Stonewall riots, by dissident members of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). In contrast to the Liberation Front, the Activists Alliance solely and specifically served to gay and lesbian rights, declared themself politically neutral and wanted to work within the political system.

<i>Giovannis Room</i> 1956 novel by James Baldwin

Giovanni's Room is a 1956 novel by James Baldwin. The book concerns the events in the life of an American man living in Paris and his feelings and frustrations with his relationships with other men in his life, particularly an Italian bartender named Giovanni whom he meets at a Parisian gay bar. While he deals with his difficulties with men, he is engaged to an American woman who is travelling in Spain.

Glad Day Bookshop is an independent bookstore and restaurant located in Toronto, Ontario, specializing in LGBT literature. Previously located above a storefront at 598A Yonge Street for much of its history, the store moved to its current location at 499 Church Street, in the heart of the city's Church and Wellesley neighbourhood, in 2016. The store's name and logo are based on a painting by William Blake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center</span> LGBT community organization in New York City

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, commonly called The Center, is a nonprofit organization serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) population of New York City and nearby communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharswood, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States

Sharswood is a small neighborhood in the North Philadelphia section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is located to the east of Brewerytown, north of Girard College, west of Ridge Avenue, east of 24th Street and south of Cecil B. Moore Avenue. It is often grouped with Brewerytown, as in the Brewerytown-Sharswood Community Civic Association, and the Brewerytown-Sharswood NTI Planning Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Cornwell</span> American lesbian feminist author (1923–2023)

Anita Cornwell was an American lesbian feminist author. In 1983, she wrote the first collection of essays by an African-American lesbian, Black Lesbian in White America.

Philadelphia Gay News (PGN) is an LGBT newspaper in the Philadelphia area. The publication was founded in 1976 by Mark Segal, who was inspired by activist Frank Kameny when they met in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay's the Word (bookshop)</span> Lesbian and gay bookstore in London

Gay's the Word is an independent bookshop in central London, and the oldest LGBT bookshop in the United Kingdom. Inspired by the emergence and growth of lesbian and gay bookstores in the United States, a small group of people from Gay Icebreakers, a gay socialist group, founded the store in 1979. These included Peter Dorey, Ernest Hole and Jonathan Cutbill. Various locations were looked at, including Covent Garden, which was then being regenerated, before they decided to open the store in Marchmont Street in Bloomsbury, an area of the capital with rich academic and literary associations. Initial reluctance from Camden Council to grant a lease was overcome with help from Ken Livingstone, then a local councillor, later Mayor of London. For a period of time, it was the only LGBT bookshop in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wissahickon, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States

Wissahickon is a neighborhood in the section of Lower Northwest Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Wissahickon is located adjacent to the neighborhoods of Roxborough and Manayunk, and it is bounded by the Wissahickon Valley Park, Ridge Avenue, Hermit Street, and Henry Avenue. The name of the neighborhood is derived from the Lenni Lenape word wisameckham, for "catfish creek", a reference to the fish that were once plentiful in the Wissahickon Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Valley Legacy Fund</span>

The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund (DVLF) is a community foundation whose mission is to support the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and straight-allied communities in Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. It is engaged in building a permanent endowment and philanthropic apparatus to serve the fundraising and grant making. DVLF was founded in 1993 and is based in Center City Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Bartlett (activist)</span> American gay activist and educator

Chris Bartlett is an American gay activist, feminist, educator, and researcher who lives in Philadelphia, PA, and is the executive director of the William Way Community Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Way LGBT Community Center</span>

The William Way LGBT Community Center is a nonprofit organization serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and nearby communities, located at 1315 Spruce Street in Philadelphia in the Gayborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moravian Book Shop</span> Bookstore in Pennsylvania, United States

Moravian Book Shop is a book store based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1745 by the Moravian Church and lays claim to being the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the United States and the second oldest in the world.

Lethe Press is an American book publishing company based in Western Massachusetts. Launched in 2001 by Steve Berman, a writer and a former employee of Giovanni's Room Bookstore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the company was originally launched to publish speculative fiction, primarily LGBT-themed, as well as rereleasing out of print titles from other LGBT publishers. In recent years, with numerous LGBT-oriented publishing companies folding, the company has also expanded its line to include new LGBT-themed non-fiction, poetry, and anthology titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in Philadelphia</span>

The development of LGBT culture in Philadelphia can be traced back to the early 20th century. It exists in current times as a dynamic, diverse, and philanthropically active culture with establishments and events held to promote LGBT culture and rights in Philadelphia and beyond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria Casarez</span> American civil rights leader and LGBT activist

Gloria Casarez was a groundbreaking American civil rights leader from Philadelphia. A proud Philadelphian, she dedicated her life to advocating for marginalized communities and advancing social justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Fair</span> American activist

David Fair is an American activist who has been a leader in the labor, LGBT, AIDS, homeless and child advocacy movements in Philadelphia, PA since the 1970s. He has founded or co-founded several advocacy and service organizations, including the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force (1977), the Philadelphia Gay Cultural Festival (1978), Lavender Health (1979), the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Union of the Homeless (1985), Philly Homes 4 Youth (2017), and the Philadelphia Coalition on Opioids and Children (2018), and led the creation of numerous local government health and human service initiatives, including the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (1987) and the Division of Community-Based Prevention Services (2001), the Parenting Collaborative (2003), and the Quality Parenting Initiative (2014) for the Philadelphia Department of Human Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Librairie L'Androgyne</span> Book store

Librairie L'Androgyne was a gay, lesbian, feminist bookstore in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, active from 1973 to 2002.

Charis Books & More is an independent bookstore located in Decatur, Georgia. The store is the oldest independent feminist bookstore in the Southern U.S. Charis Books was founded in 1974 by Linda Bryant and Barbara Borgman in the Little Five Points district of Atlanta; in 2019, Charis moved to Decatur and became the bookstore of Agnes Scott College. The store specializes in diverse children's books, feminist literature, and LGBTQ literature.

References

  1. 1 2 Connie Wu (July 25, 2014). "Nation's Oldest LGBT Bookstore Rescued from Closing". OutTraveler.
  2. 1 2 "Oldest US Gay Bookstore to Reopen in Philadelphia - ABC News". ABC News . Archived from the original on 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  3. 1 2 "EPGN". epgn.com. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  4. 1 2 3 Gillespie, Tyler (21 May 2014). "The Last Day at Giovanni's Room, America's Oldest Gay Bookstore". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Philly AIDS Thrift makes biggest donation since its founding in 2005". WHYY. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  6. 1 2 3 "Giovanni's Room records, circa 1975–1991" (PDF). John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives. July 19, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Capital-Star, Special to the (2023-06-12). "Giovanni's Room: The Booksellers who built a community • Pennsylvania Capital-Star". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  8. ↑ "Now an institution, Philadelphia's once-pioneering gay bookstore turns 25". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 7, 1998. p. 62. ProQuest   1855139308.
  9. ↑ Tofani, Loretta (November 14, 1987). "Aids Books Are Increasingly on Stores' Shelves: One Store's Hot Subject, However, Draws Moderate Interest at Others". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  10. ↑ "History". Queer Books. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  11. ↑ Panaritis, Maria (April 30, 2014). "Trailblazing gay bookstore Giovanni's Room is closing". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. B4.
  12. ↑ Winberg, Michaela (9 December 2021). "How Giovanni's Room reinvented itself to succeed as the oldest gay bookstore in the country". Billy Penn at WHYY.
  13. ↑ Schechner, Karen. "Giovanni's Room Honored With Historical Marker". American Booksellers Association. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  14. ↑ "William Penn's Legacy, PHMC 2010–2011 Annual Report" (PDF). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  15. ↑ Thomas, Angela. "Giovanni's Room to close next month". Philadelphia Gay News. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  16. ↑ Vernon, Clark (August 27, 2014). "Giovanni's Room is set to reopen: Landmark gay bookstore gets new management and an inventory beyond books". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. B2.
  17. ↑ Broverman, Neal. "The Nation's Oldest LGBTQ+ Bookstore Is Ready for 50 More Years". www.advocate.com.

39°56′43″N75°09′40″W / 39.9452°N 75.1612°W / 39.9452; -75.1612

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.