Little District Books has moved to a new, larger location in Washington, D.C., the Washington City Paper reported.
Last month, the queer-owned and operated bookstore moved from its original home on 737 8th St. SE to 631 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The new space, located less than a mile from the old store, is much larger. The additional space will allow owner Patrick Kern and his team to expand the store's offerings, host more frequent events, and add a tea bar, which Kern expects to be ready next spring. The shop's new home is also close to another D.C. indie, East City Bookshop.
"The net effect of having a bunch of bookstores together is people spend money on books," Kern told the Washington City Paper. "More readers will come here because we're together…. We have different audiences and we don't have that much overlap in what we have in the store."
Kern, who founded Little District Books in 2022, had wanted to move to a larger space for a while, as the old location's size made hosting events tricky. While the timing is unfortunate in that it coincides with the government shutdown and the deployment of the National Guard in D.C., Kern is optimistic about the new space and what he and his team can build. Along with the forthcoming tea bar, that includes Lavender Con, a LGBTQIA+ book convention that Little District Books started two years ago.
"It's both creating more queer inclusivity spaces because we can do things that create more community," Kern said. "But it's also that now, we're not tucked away."