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Beyond the Closet Bookstore closing after 17 years

Beyond the Closet Bookstore closing after 17 years
Ron Whiteaker, owner of Beyond The Closet Bookstore, Seattles exclusive source for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender books, is calling it quits after 17 years. Business has been declining for several years, so I really cant keep it going any longer, Whiteaker said. Well be closing for good in a few weeks, toward the end of July. Its been a good run, though. Whiteaker moved to Seattle from Los Angeles and opened the bookstore in March of 1988. It was a rough start, with only a few hundred books from his personal collection and the faith of a few publishers. The community was growing, and all of their support was reinvested back into the bookstore. Author appearances, poetry readings, and community events quickly established the bookstore as a center for information on the vibrant queer life in the Northwest and beyond. Whiteaker edited and published The Northwest Gay and Lesbian Reader, a review of books and art, for five years. Gay publishing was more exciting and accessible than ever. The bookstore expanded in 1994, doubling in size and adding more product lines. Whiteaker won the GSBA 2003 Business of the Year Award. This niche market seemed safe from the censorship of large chains and the pressure to compete with general bookstores. The Internet changed everything, Whiteaker points out. People in small towns were eventually able to access lists of Gay books and buy from the comfort and anonymity of their homes, sometimes at a discount. Add to that the fact that several generations of kids dont even read books anymore, and the bell begins to toll. Whiteaker ran a website for his bookstore for five years, but was unable to even begin to compete with Amazon.com and the chain bookstores. It was a huge task, and it never paid for itself. As things changed, Whiteaker updated the mix of product to be more competitive, adding more bargain books, used merchandise, videos, and even hardcore erotica, but the die was cast. I guess the crisis in independent bookselling finally caught up with me. Hundreds of bookstores have gone out of business due to Internet discounting and armchair buying, as well as customers leaving small bookstores in favor of the big chains. Its just the way things are. The WalMart syndrome. Gay people arent immune. Whiteaker says after closing the bookstore he will look for a new career, possibly within the community. Im not finished, not by a long shot. Beyond the Closet Bookstore