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The mission at Charlie’s Queer Books is “to provide a unique bookstore experience that is dedicated to creating community connection through queer literature.” A range of books are offered covering topics and genres such as poetry, fiction, YA, graphic novels, memoirs, cookbooks, and LGBTQ+ studies. Inside the space, as well as online, the store hosts events including but not limited to author talks, book clubs, readings, and writing workshops.
Founded by Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong in 1994, Giant Robot Magazine began as a punk zine of Asian pop culture which covered art, design, politics, travel, and more. In 2001, the founders established a brick-and-mortar store in the Sawtelle neighborhood of Los Angeles serving as a one-stop shop for books and products regarding Asian pop culture.
This Barnes & Noble bookstore is located in the Grove outdoor shopping venue in the Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles. With three floors, this location hosts frequent literary events including book launches, readings, talks, signings, and conversations. The shop is open seven days a week: Monday through Sunday, 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
Kinokuniya’s Austin location is Texas’s one-stop shop for goods and gifts from Japan, including but not limited to stationery, Studio Ghibli merchandise, toys, magazines, manga books, and more. In addition, the bookstore sells a vast selection of books in both English and Japanese. Unique to this location is an exhibit of a 1920s Japanese classroom, a visual reminder of what schooling was like during the time of the franchise’s founding. As of now, it serves as a meeting place for cultural events and community activities.
Located in the Mitsuwa Marketplace of the Del Amo Fashion Center, Kinokuniya’s Torrance location provides a wide selection of books, manga, and magazines in both English and Japanese, as well as stationery, anime merchandise, toys, clothing, and greeting cards.
This Kinokuniya location sits in the Weller Court Shopping Center of Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles. The store first began as a tiny shop inside of a Little Tokyo hotel before moving to its larger building in 1980. They provide a wide array of books in Japanese and English, including graphic novels and manga, as well as a display dedicated to the various works of Haruki Murakami. They also carry high-quality stationery brands, art supplies, papers and notebooks, and greeting cards.
Located in the Japan Center mall of Japantown in San Francisco, this location opened in 1969 and is the first Kinokuniya to open in the United States. The store was originally a second-floor shop with English and Japanese books, and Japan-related goods, but expanded to the first floor which now holds an expansive collection of manga and anime, art books, magazines, and merchandise in both English and Japanese. Occasionally, the store hosts signing events with writers and other creatives.
Bell’s Books offers a delightful and eclectic combination of new, used, and rare books. Their vast collection includes books about gardening, art and architecture, cooking, military science, transportation, religion, natural history, as well as vintage technical books and new children’s books. They have over 150,000 volumes available for perusal, ever-evolving and changing to the local community’s needs and tastes.
This Barnes & Noble bookstore on the Upper East Side at 87th Street and Third Avenue opened in 2023 after a previous larger location in the same neighborhood closed. This intimate small shop is open seven days a week and hosts author events and book signings.
Spine is an independent bookstore specializing in fiction and nonfiction titles from indie authors and publishers. They also have a café and small event space that hosts various literary discussion groups, author showcases, and open mics. They host storytelling, music, history talk, and other various community-building events to foster independent, creative expression.
