Giovanni's Room

Giovanni’s Room is a queer‑focused independent bookstore on 12th and Pine in Philadelphia’s Gayborhood, and it may be the nation’s oldest. Founded in 1973, the shop took its name from James Baldwin’s 1956 novel. Since 2014 Philly AIDS Thrift has run the place, and the profit line goes straight to local HIV/AIDS services. The shelves are a mix of new queer fiction, history and theory alongside a rotating stock of donated paperbacks. The used section changes often enough that you’ll find something different each visit. It’s open every day—11 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on Saturday. Give yourself an hour or two to wander; the staff are quick with recommendations and happy to point you toward a hidden title.