US: Nation’s oldest gay bookshop to re-open
The oldest gay bookshop in the US is set to re-open, after being forced to close its doors earlier this year.
Giovanni’s Room, in Philidelphia, has been serving the LGBT community for 41 years, and owner Ed Hermance has run it for 38.
However, earlier this year Hermance, announced it would close, as it was running at a loss of $10,000-$15,000 per year.
He said at the time: “I know that thousands of people have used and cared about this store. It is very emotional for me.
“It has been a wonderful life for me and it combines my best skills with my deepest interests, so it certainly is going to be a lifetime’s work.
“The government is allowing Amazon to tighten their fingers around the throats of the publishers and drive their retail competitors out of the business by clearly monopolistic methods.”
However, it has been revealed that the store is set to reopen this autumn, after a buyer came forward to take over the business.
It will keep trading as Giovanni’s Room, but according to Publishers Weekly, key changes will be made to the business model to allow it to be sustainable.
The new owner will branch out into furniture, giving over part of the store to it, in addition to adding more used LGBT titles.
