Around Indie Bookstores

The Lizard Arrives at Prince Books

Sarah Pishko's Prince Books in Norfolk, Virginia, now has a cafe. Pishko's brother, Bill Prince, opened The Lizard at Prince Books, which is similar to his popular Leaping Lizard Cafe in Virginia Beach.

Open on Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., the cafe, in a completely redecorated space, features soups, salads, sandwiches, and wraps made with produce from the local farms of Virginia's tidal basin.

Giovanni's Room Celebrates 35th Anniversary

Philadelphia's Giovanni's Room, the second-oldest gay and lesbian bookstore in the country, celebrated its 35th anniversary last week. The event was chronicled on Philly.com, which noted that, "through six owners, three locations, and countless volunteers, Giovanni's has come to represent far more to the city's gay community than a bibliophilic rainbow flag." Gloria Casarez, the mayor's liaison to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, told Philly.com: "Growing up in the city, it was one of the first places where I found people like me and a sense of community."

Giovanni's holds 50 readings a year, and it also serves as an information clearinghouse, a crisis center, even a research library. In 2003, on the occasion of the store's 30th anniversary, BTW spoke with long-time owner Ed Hermance.

King's Books to Be Honored by Tacoma Arts Commission

King's Books will be honored by the City of Tacoma Arts Commission at a celebration on Wednesday, October 29, at the Tacoma Art Museum. On September 22, the bookstore was named the recipient of a 2008 AMOCAT Arts Award, which recognizes community members' vision, dedication, and action in creating a lively arts community in Tacoma.

The award for "Community Outreach by an Organization" is being awarded to King's Books "for their work with community organizations to host a wide variety of artistic and cultural events, becoming a central force of activity," said the Arts Commission. "King's Books showcases the letterpress and book arts community, hosts frequent author and poetry readings, raises money for public schools and libraries, assists local organizations with fundraising, and provides a venue for other literary and cultural events year-round."

A blog posting about the award on the News Tribune website, says: "King's does a wonderful job of hosting everything from Shakespeare in the parking lot to book groups. The used/new bookstore on St. Helens' has seen spelling bees, Punch and Judy shows, and a steamroller printing on the sidewalk. In my humble opinion, this award should be accepted by King's superhero employee sweet pea Flaherty (his legal, lowercase name) who tirelessly organizes, supports, and energizes all these events."