Word Up Community Bookshop is holding a fundraiser December 7 to raise money to move into a new location in Manhattan, DNAInfo reported. The store has been hoping to re-open since it lost its location in August. The fundraiser will be held at Darling Coffee at 4961 Broadway. Word Up also has an IndieGoGo campaign underway.
Word Up volunteer Daniella Gitlin said the bookstore hopes to find an affordable space between 165th to 190th streets: "We're going to get in on a place within the next month. We don't want to stay closed too long."
---
The Bureau of General Services Queer Division, Manhattan's only LGBT bookstore, is looking to turn its pop-up shop into a permanent location. BGSQD has been operating at 27 Orchard St. since November 15, but with a scheduled closing next month, the owners "are hoping a fundraising campaign will give the bookstore the initial boost it needs to make the Lower East Side its longtime home," DNAInfo wrote. BGSQD is also working with Lucky Ant to raise $15,000 by December 20.
"This is a space that is open for everyone," said co-owner Greg Newton. "But it is a space dedicated to supporting queers and exploring issues of gender and sexuality.... The social spaces for a lot of LGBT people happen to be bars, especially for men, but they are often loud, not conducive to conversation... they serve a different purpose."
