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| Community surveys formed a basis for the business plan that Philip Rafshoon used
to create Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse, which celebrates its 10th anniversary
this week. (Photos by R.O. Youngblood)
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HOME > SOVO SCENE > FEATURE
By: MIKE FLEMING
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EVEN AS LONG-ESTABLISHED gay bookstores in New York City and elsewhere met their
demise in recent years, two Atlanta businesses celebrate anniversaries this week
that suggest there is a place for gay bookstores that goes beyond literature.
Gay bookstores nationwide struggle against the high name recognition — and
often lower prices — of big chain "supersellers," which increasingly
carry gay titles as society becomes more tolerant.
But Atlanta's Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse, specializing in gay and
lesbian books for 10 years, and Charis Books & More, the city's 29-year-old
lesbian/feminist book store, thrive because they are de facto community centers
that offer services unavailable at mainstream outlets, says Philip Rafshoon,
president of Outwrite.
"We're a resource for the community as much as anything else," Rafshoon
says. "Our staff and our service keep people coming back. If you need
to find a book on a certain subject, a product, a community organization, a
gay establishment, the person here will have no problem helping you find it."
Outwrite and Charis each plans community-wide anniversary celebrations this
week. Charis also offers its Nov. 9 fund-raiser "Celebration of Women,
Music and Art" — with headliners Deidre McCalla and all-dyke rock
band Fat Chance — to benefit the store's non-profit programming arm,
Charis Circle.
Charis Circle features monthly programs including writers' workshops and musical
guests as well as racial, relationship and child-rearing discussions.
Both businesses also regularly host gay organizational meetings as well as
gay authors for readings and signings. Those events are additional reasons
to frequent the stores, says Atlanta-based author and Lambda Literary Award
winner Andrew W.M. Beierle.
"[Outwrite's Rafshoon] strongly supports the work of local authors by
providing them a venue to promote their work," Beierle says.
BESIDES BEING A community resource, independent stores keep diverse voices
among society's overall dialogue, says Sara Look, co-owner of Charis Books & More.
"We support independent voices and independent presses," Look says. "If
those go away, the big corporate booksellers won't carry them. If we don't
keep creating and maintaining that market, they'll be gone — and independent
voices are most often the voices of women, lesbians, gay men, transgendered
people and people of color."
Rafshoon agrees.
"If there were no more gay bookstores, you'd see even less gay products
in the mainstream stores," he says. "[Big chains] will never carry
the breadth of products that we have. It's great that they are inclusive, but
they just can't match our focus."
Supporting local business — in addition to supporting independent and
specifically gay establishments — is another reason to shop Charis and
Outwrite, owners say.
"If you shop locally, not just for books but for everything, that money
goes back into the community," Look says. "Money to big corporations
goes back into their headquarters and their bottom line."
"Our money goes to local suppliers, providers and repair people — and
for us that's a lot of gay people — as well as taxes to local governments," Rafshoon
says. "Most importantly, money that goes into Outwrite also goes to organizations
that support us — places like Atlanta Pride, Atlanta Executive Network,
Georgia Equality, the HRC, ALCI, YouthPride, AID Atlanta and the gay men's
chorus," he adds.
OUTWRITE HITS ITS 10-year mark with a celebration planned for Nov. 8. The
party is open to the public and includes food, drinks and music by DJ Richard
Jones.
"It's a good chance to get together with our regular customers and the
supporters from our community," Rafshoon says. "I continue to be
overwhelmed by the support we've received in the last 10 years."
Gay Atlanta and the city itself have changed since Rafshoon took the results
from a community survey and used them to plan and open Outwrite in November
1993, he says.
"Atlanta is more diverse," Rafshoon says. "The books have changed
to include titles that aren't exclusively gay but with a gay sensibility.
"But our basic approach remains the same," he adds. "People
were looking for a good place to meet other people, a resource on community
life and a place that provides a wide selection of literature by, for and about
the GLBT community."
Charis also changed with the times in its 29-year history, Look says.
"We cater to all different kinds of people — women, lesbians and
all progressives and their children," she says. "That's a tall order,
but certainly since the '80s, we are pretty lesbian-focused, and since Outwrite
came along, we carry fewer gay male titles because that's covered."
The store celebrates its 29th birthday with a Nov. 1 10-percent-off sale with
free refreshments and a "Saturn Return" healing exposition Nov. 2
featuring massage therapists, spiritualists and body ...
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