The Nonbinarian, a literary mutual-aid collective that distributes queer books, will open a bricks-and-mortar bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y., this Friday, the Brooklyn Paper reported.
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| From book bike to bookstore. | |
The bookstore, which resides at 1130 President St. in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood, debuted as a pop-up book-bike about two years ago. In its bricks-and-mortar home it will sell new and used titles by queer authors, with a variety of genres for all age groups represented, as well as gift items & local goods.
Founder K. Kerimian and their team will also have a selection of pay-what-you-can titles for those who cannot afford full-price books. They plan to host a variety of community events and hope the store becomes a gathering place.
Kerimian, who was the recipient of the 2022 Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists, and worked at Greenlight Bookstore and P&T Knitwear, told the Brooklyn Paper that they never thought the mutual-aid, bike-based pop-up would ever have a physical storefront, but volunteers and supporters advocated for the idea.
They said: "It's a real show of faith from the people who have been foundational in building the Nonbinarian Book Bike that we've grown to be ready to even consider a future beyond the bike as it is, that the people around me saw something that I wasn't ready to see."
Kerimian also noted that the Nonbinarian has distributed books in the neighborhood before, and is familiar with the community.