Oscar Wilde Bookshop

Oscar Wilde Bookshop

File:ChristopherAndGayStreets9.JPG Exterior view on Christopher Street in 2007
Formerly	Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop
Industry	LGBTQ bookstore
Founded	November 24, 1967 (1967-11-24)
Founder	Craig Rodwell
Defunct	March 29, 2009 (2009-03-29)
Fate	Closed
Headquarters	15 Christopher Street, New York, New York

The Oscar Wilde Bookshop was a bookstore situated in New York City's Greenwich Village district, specializing in literature related to the LGBTQ community. Established by Craig Rodwell on November 24, 1967, it originally bore the name Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop. Its first location was at 291 Mercer Street, before relocating in 1973 to 15 Christopher Street, directly across from Gay Street.</ref>

The store ceased operations on March 29, 2009, attributing its closure to the economic downturn known as the Great Recession and increasing competition from digital booksellers.</ref>

In recognition of its impact, the bookshop was honored with the Michele Karlsberg Leadership Award from the Publishing Triangle in 2006.</ref>

History

File:Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop Advertisement.jpg

Advertisement for the Bookshop featured in Queen's Quarterly magazine in 1968. Depicted are Fred Sargeant (left) and Craig Rodwell (right).

As vice president and member of the Mattachine Society, Rodwell aimed to increase the organization's visibility within both the gay community and broader society by launching a physical storefront serving the expanding gay population in Greenwich Village. He explained:

Rodwell identified more as an activist committed to transforming perceptions of gay individuals and their self-esteem than as a commercial bookseller.

The shop officially opened on November 24, 1967. The night before opening, Craig along with his mother prepared the store.</ref> Although initial inventory was limited, Rodwell deliberately avoided stocking any form of pornography, instead prioritizing works authored by gay and lesbian writers. Regarding the choice of the bookstore’s name, Rodwell stated:

Starting in March 1968, Rodwell began distributing a monthly newsletter titled HYMNAL from the store.

The bookshop served as a venue for early planning meetings for New York City’s inaugural Pride Parade in 1970.

In March 1993, Rodwell sold the business to Bill Offenbaker shortly before his death from stomach cancer three months later.</ref> Offenbaker then sold it in June 1996 to Larry Lingle. By January 2003, Lingle announced plans to close due to financial strain.</ref> To prevent this historically important bookstore from shutting down, Deacon Maccubbin—owner of Lambda Rising bookstores—acquired it.</ref></ref> An article in The Advocate announcing the closure omitted mention of founder Craig Rodwell, prompting Fred Sargeant—Rodwell’s former partner and initial manager—to submit a letter correcting this oversight.</ref> In 2006, Kim Brinster, who had previously managed the store, became its owner.

Ultimately, on March 29, 2009, under Brinster’s leadership, the bookshop closed due to substantial sales declines driven by economic hardship and fierce competition from online retailers.</ref> This closure was part of a wider trend during the early twenty-first century that saw numerous LGBT brick-and-mortar bookstores shuttering their doors—including Lambda Rising’s Washington location and both Los Angeles and San Francisco branches of A Different Light.

Inspiration

Rodwell was raised within the Christian Science faith. His commitment to "gay liberation" was deeply influenced by his routine engagement with Christian Science texts, which emphasize the inherent worth of every individual, irrespective of their sexual orientation.

Drawing inspiration from Christian Science's approach to community service and the promotion of literature featuring affirming representations of gay and lesbian individuals, Rodwell designed the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop to reflect the model of Christian Science Reading Rooms.

Bibliography

• Downs, Jim, Stand By Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation (Basic, 2016)
• Duberman, Martin, Stonewall (New York: Dutton, 1993) ISBN 0-452-27206-8
• Marotta, Toby, The Politics of Homosexuality (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981) ISBN 0-395-31338-4
• Sargeant, Fred (2009) Anger Management, New York Times Op-Ed, June 25, 2009 Retrieved January 3, 2011