Bummers: Giovanni's Room to close
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
The nation's oldest LGBT bookstore will shut its doors in May.
uwishunu.com
Just days before Philly's Equality Forum (May 1-4), some bad news for the LGBTcommunity.
Giovanni's Room, 345 S. 12th St., announced in a press release today that it will close on Saturday, May 17. Giovanni's room is the oldest gay and lesbian bookstore in the country, and considered a Philadelphia institution. It opened in 1973, and is a historic landmark as established by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Ed Hermance, Giovanni's Room owner since 1976, wrote:
"Giovanni's Room has served many thousands of people not only in this region but across the nation and around the world. Many of those people have expressed support for the store this past year, after the announcement that the store was for sale. A number of people were interested in taking over the operation, though they knew the store has not made a profit in a number of years. In the end, though, I did not think that any of the offers were realistic."
"I know we have helped a huge number of people in untold ways, and they have successfully helped the store when it was threatened," he continued, adding that from April 30 through close, everything in the store will be on sale at 25 percent off. Many authors are still scheduled to read in the store before the prospective May 17 closing.
