GUEST BLOG / By USA TODAY, Phaedra Trethan, staff writer--Giovanni's Room has been a fixture in the Philadelphia region's, and even the nation's, LGBTQ+ community since it opened in 1973.
But in 2014, its survival was in doubt. Under pressure from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and big box retailers, the bookstore in Philadelphia's "Gayborhood" wasn't making money, one of many independent bookstores in the country struggling as the retail landscape changed and readers moved online.
Today, though, what is now Philly AIDS Thrift @Giovanni's Room is thriving, one of many small bookstores across the U.S.. making big impressions. Indie bookstores aren't just places to buy books; they have evolved into communities' cornerstones, embracing the diversity of their neighborhoods.
"We've seen tremendous growth since the beginning of the pandemic," said Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association. "That has been a pleasant surprise for us here at the ABA, and for bookstores and their communities."
The organization, founded in 1900 and representing more than 2,500 independent bookstores, saw its membership grow by 11% in 2023 as 291 bookstores opened, including 230 brick-and-mortar stores, 34 pop-ups, 18 online and nine mobile stores. Of those, Hill noted, 58 bookseller businesses are owned by Black, Indigenous and other people of color. "There is a lot more diversity, in terms of race, ethnicity and other identities, and a lot of innovation in the format of these stores," Hill said. "And all of those things are signs of a healthy ecosystem."
In 2014, Giovanni's Room owner Ed Hermance (pictured, above) was ready to leave the business but not just searching for the highest bidder. He was looking for someone with a sustainable plan who would respect the bookstore's legacy, who knew the store was far more than a place to buy otherwise hard-to-find books.
"The prospect of closure made national news," said Christopher Cirillo, now the manager at Philly AIDS Thrift @Giovanni's Room. "It was really upsetting to the entire LGBTQ community here in Philly and elsewhere that this store might close." When founders Tom Wilson Weinberg, Dan Sheron and Bern Boyle moved the store to its current location, Cirillo said, "members of the (LGBTQ+) community didn't just support this, they helped build it," fixing up the former antiques storehouse, installing bookshelves, painting and prepping the space for retail.
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