Closing of Bookstore Causes Wilde Reactions

On Feb. 3rd, the New York Times ran an article titled “Venerable Bookstore to Close in Village” to memorialize the Oscar Wilde Bookshop, believed to be the oldest gay and lesbian-themed vendor of literature in North America. Due to financial difficulties, it will officially shut its doors on Sunday, March 8.

The key word here, of course, is “venerable,” with its strong implications of age and historical prominence. This LGBT-themed bookstore has been around, first on Mercer St. but primarily at its current location on Christopher St., since 1967. It is, without a doubt, a neighborhood staple.

Situated near the Stonewall Inn—the site of the famous Stonewall Riots of ’69—and founded by Craig Rodwell, the late gay rights activist and one-time lover of Harvey Milk, the Oscar Wilde Bookshop serves as a visible testament to the progression of the gay rights movement over the past 40 years.

During the Bookshop’s formative years, Rodwell was strict in establishing its direction, pointedly refusing to sell pornography despite the genre’s popularity, and instead marketing the store as a vendor of LGBT literature. Thanks to the reputability it has gained over the years and its ties to crucial watershed events in West Village history, the Bookshop’s demise will have symbolic repercussions extending beyond the immediacy of another neighborhood bookstore closing its doors.

Since owner Kim Brinster made the announcement about the Bookshop shutting down, forums all over the Internet have been abuzz with regrets and calls for activist mobilization. Many clients hearken back to 2003 in their comments, when the Bookshop was in a similar situation under then-owner Larry Lingle—but Lambda Rising Bookstores bought the store and bolstered it financially.

Unfortunately, this time it seems that not even support from advocate groups has been successful in fending off the recession from the Oscar Wilde Bookshop. In her official statement to the public, Brinster thanked booksellers and frequenters for their patronage, emphasizing the Bookshop’s community orientation and lamenting the fact that fiscal troubles have obligated her to close the store. She wrote: “We do not have the resources to weather the current economic crisis and find it’s time to call it a day.”

After politely explaining that reporters have constantly hounded her over the past month, Brinster, who was working at the register when I visited the Bookshop last weekend, categorically refused to grant me an interview. Nonetheless, it was quite moving to watch customer after customer voice their apologies about the store’s closing, and the cordoned-off back room lent the store a somber air of finality.

Although a fairly hefty number of books remain in the non-fiction, biography, travel, and graphic novel sections, these—along with the more eclectic selection of holiday mermen, themed calendars, and Obama T-shirts—are quickly dwindling as clients take advantage of the clearance discounts.

The Bookshop will continue to take online orders until the middle of March, and, fortunately, customers will still have access to stores like Lambda Rising in D.C. and Giovanni’s Room in Philadelphia for their LGBT book needs.

With the Bookshop gone, Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto will take on the title of the oldest store of LGBT literature in North America.

The Oscar Wilde Bookshop is located at 15 Christopher St., and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Through closing on Sunday, all books are 25 percent off.