Giovanni’s Room, located in Philadelphia, PA, is currently the oldest gay and feminist bookstore in America. The location on South 12th and Pine Street is a corner building featuring a brick exterior and large vertical windows to give passersby a preview of the literary works it sells. To further distinguish it from the other buildings on the same road, there are LGBTQ+ pride flags adorning the brick walls above both entrances. A historical marker acknowledges the significance of this location for the community and informs customers that the store was named after James Balwin’s novel Giovanni’s Room.
On May 17, 2014, Ed Hermance, the owner of the Giovanni’s Room locations, retired after 38 years and planned to close the store. Philly AIDS Thrift became the proprietor for the bookstore soon after, as they decided to preserve its legacy as a historical queer location. Tiffany Cracraft spoke with Max Adarve, who is an assistant manager for the bookstore located on South 12th and Pine.
Tiffany Cracraft: What led to Giovanni’s Room being opened in Philadelphia?
Max Adarve: We are the oldest queer and feminist bookstore in the country. The owners saw Oscar Wilde’s bookstore and were inspired to open a location gay people could go to that was not a bar, a place where gay people could discuss literature in a safe area. Giovanni’s room first opened on South Street in 1973. The bookstore on South Street closed and the second store was open near the Kimmel Center, but they closed that location and moved to 12th and Pine because the landlords had an issue with Giovanni’s selling gay books.
TC: What is it like being a safe space for Philly’s LBGTQ community?
MA: It is a wonderful thing. We have anywhere from 3-5 events each month. The queer book club has grown from 10 people to anywhere from 60-100 people for some meetings. The day-to-day interactions with regular customers let us maintain those bonds. We get the privilege of being the first gay bookstore some people have been able to go to, whether it is an older person who visited for first time in the 1980s or a family from North Carolina without access to queer books today. When it has been a tough or stressful week, it reminds us why we are here and how we impact people’s lives by being here.
TC: Is there a certain event that stood out to you as something you would like to do again?
MA: Last fall we did an album launch for this album called Transa that was put out by Red Hot, and it raised money for AIDS nonprofits. This album featured many independent trans music artists alongside big industry names like Sade and Andre3000. We were the host of the album launch. The other event was an art show. I was excited about that project. We started by having staff members show their artwork and then hoped to show more artwork of Philadelphia community members regularly.
TC: Do you feel that Philly has a good community of indie bookstores and indie writers?
MA: For sure, that is very true. There are close to 50 independent bookstores, and there is an unspoken network between them. The people that work at the stores know what other stores’ strengths are. We have a kind of reciprocity, and we will send customers to other stores. We love Molly’s Bookstore in the Italian Market, The Wooden Shoe Anarchist Bookstore on South Street, The Last Word in University City, The Book Trader in Old City, and all our fellow booksellers. The Philadelphia Book Crawl also deserves a big shout out. We have readings every month with authors; one that stands out to me was with Shawn Stuart Ruff, who published his book Days Running through Dopamine Press with Michele Tea, who was a big queer writer in San Francisco in the ’90s. Shawn is an author from my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, and one of the kindest people I’ve met. He ran such a conversational and engaging event with us. On another Philly community note, we had an event with Emma Copley Eisenberg for her book, Housemates, which is about West Philly and is set there. She used to run Blue Stoop, which is a hub for Philly writers, and now she is on the board there. Blue Stoop deserves a big shout out too. We’ve found different ways of integrating Philadelphia’s vibrant underground book scene. It’s a wonderful community and we are very proud to be a part of it.
TC: What is the biggest challenge Giovanni’s Room is facing with the current state of the world?
MA: I think on a political level, there is a lot to be worried about. As far as the messaging around queer and trans people from the current administration, it feels tense. We are privileged to be in a position where we are raising money to help queer people, and we are not at risk of closing or shutting down so we get to help people face the challenges that are ongoing. I feel fortunate that I am in the position that I’m in here, because there is a lot to worry about and sometimes it is hard to figure out what to do with all those worries. At least those of us that work here have an answer, and we get to come here and help and keep fighting for this space, to keep fighting for this community, and to keep providing a space that supports, empowers and grants access to expansive literature, for all people.
TC: Do you have anything else you would like to tell the community?
MA: It will keep improving if we all keep showing up and trying. In that, there is a lot to be encouraged by. It’s not always easy, but it can be simple. Finding actual, outside, in-person ways to contribute, to show up, to support one another makes a world of difference. I think it’s valuable to focus on those things when it seems like negativity is swirling or overpowering.
Giovanni’s Room is open 7 days a week, from 11am – 8pm Monday through Saturday and from 11am – 7pm on Sundays. Their website displays an online version of their store with all their books in stock, monthly events such as their queer book club, publication news, and more.
Tiffany Cracraft is a Drexel senior who is majoring in psychology and minoring in animation and visual effects as well as writing. She loves discussing complex topics within the writing community and bringing attention to her audience through her articles. Outside of her academics she enjoys playing board games with her friends, caring for her dog, engaging in disability research, and going to her local café to relax or get work done. After graduation she plans to pursue clinical or research psychology and work in the animation industry.