the oscar wilde bookshop

Douglas and I went shopping at gay bookshop.

A first for Jason… I even bought a book myself. (YAY!)

The Oscar Wilde Bookshop opened its doors for the first time Thanksgiving weekend of 1967 by gay activist, Craig Rodwell on Mercer St. in New York City. At a time when “gay bookstore” meant “porn store”, Rodwell understood the importance of a store that carried real literature for the lesbian and gay community and refused to carry pornography. He worked initially 70-hour weeks and ran the store entirely by himself that first year and half. In 1973 the store moved to its currently location at 15 Christopher Street, a block away from the historic Stonewall Bar.

Oscar Wilde was the world’s first gay bookshop, and has never taken that distinction lightly. In the early days of the store all available gay literature fit on a few shelves, whereas today it is impossible to stock every title in print. Before the days of a village community center, the Oscar Wilde was filled with literature for activists’ meetings, and housed the meetings themselves. Today the store is a destination listed in guidebooks throughout the world and daily welcomes visitors both nationally and internationally.

Rodwell passed away in 1993 and in 1996 the store went through a major renovation expanding to the back room to hold the growing number of LGBT literature published. In early 2006, the shop experienced its latest exciting transition. Kim Brinster, the long-time manager of the Oscar Wilde Bookshop, took over ownership of the store. As in those early days, the experienced and dedicated staff welcomes all to the store and understands the importance of the Oscar Wilde for the LGBTQ community.

the perfect sunday

was so beautiful outside today… but cold.

enjoyed seeing and hanging out with my buds…trisha, alice, douglas and matty!

merveilleux

dinner with matty and ollie….. @ le barricou.

Welcome to Union Street, the next Rue des Écoles.

Photo: Hilary Hulteen

Urban Rustic (my new grocery store)

mission statement:

Welcome to Urban Rustic Market and Café!
At Urban Rustic we strive to bring to our community the best of local farmers and producers along with reliably made staples from farther afield. We feature bio-dynamic, organic and sustainably  produced foods and feel that knowledge of the sources of our sustenance is key to eating healthy and eating well. At Urban Rustic, we know where our food comes from!

We envision the shop as a place where suppliers and consumers can come together. By bringing food producers to the table to speak about their work, and providing tear sheets and photo essays about our goods, we hope to illuminate the storylines behind our meals.

Urban Rustic is our labor of love in the neighborhood we call home and we want to be a model business. We’ve built the floors, shelves  and counters from Adirondack wood we have harvested and milled ourselves. We buy our electricity from wind-powered sources, our fresh foods from local farmers, and have abandoned the use of unnecessary disposables.  

gothamist article  

Today's Tarot Card (for me)

The Sun
This card signifies a time of clarity and power. The Sun offer’s light and warmth after a dark time in your life. It is a sign of rejuvenation and growth, and shows that you are starting to flourish in your current situation. The Sun is associated with happiness, growth and good fortune. Your path has been illuminated and good fortune is on its way.

salvy's new pumas