SEATTLE — Charlie’s Queer Books is expanding!
The bookstore, a staple in Fremont, is opening a second location: a two-story space in Capitol Hill, the heart of Seattle’s historic gay-friendly blocks.
“When we first opened only three years ago. It was barely any books on the shelf,” said owner Charlie Hunts. “Now, we don’t have enough wall space to even add bookcases if we wanted to.”
When they host events at the decades-old home that has been the business’ primary location, Hunts estimates it can fit 50 people, once its merchandise shelves and several rolling bookcases are pushed to the side.
In the new location, which sits in what was once the city’s row of car dealerships, Hunts points out the area where a staircase will be built, with a reading nook underneath for kids, and a loft above to host events that can host more people on its own than what all of the Fremont store can handle.
“I feel honored to have something that Seattle embraced and that they took and ran with. The queer community embraced this thing and then grew it into what we know today,” Hunts said.
In Hunts’ experience, a bookstore is never just that to the people who visit, saying they’re community centers, provide social services, and connect people with resources and information they need.
“We’re all trying to find our place and how we fit in the world and who we are,” he said. “We are drawn to spaces like bookstores so that we can find ourselves in other people’s stories or imagine other ways of being.”
He especially feels the importance of providing literature to the queer community when most of the books on his store’s shelves are banned from libraries, schools, or other places.
“The distribution to a new generation or to a wider audience is also really important to us that we can get out these stories while we can,” he said.
According to the American Library Association, 39% of those books that have been banned or challenged have authors or subject matter related to the LGBTQ+ community.
“If a legislator or a school district decides that we aren’t going to allow books that have sexual content, they could expand that to mean queer people or LGBTQ identities, even if sex isn’t involved in the book. But even if orientation is, then that can be an easy way to ban the book or challenge it,” he said.
Hunts sees the space as a place to build more options for queer people to get together that’s outside of just nightlife.
He’s seen many tourists in his time in Fremont, and hopes for that in his new neighborhood as well. The store will have a cafe on the lower level as well. While that step may take a little longer, the rest of the space is expected to open in time for the holidays.
“This bookstore isn’t just for the LGBT community; it’s for everyone. This store should be full of good stories for everyone and I hope that everyone feels welcome to come check it out.”