GAZETTE Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian News

By Brian Feist, photo by John Chambrone

TAMPA-I am guilty.

How many times have I browsed the shelves at Tomes & Treasures and spotted an interesting-looking book and said to myself, "I'll have to pick that up one of these days." Well, "one of these days" has passed, and has been replaced with "too late."

I've been in the Tampa Bay area nearly 18 years and discovered "Tomes" not long after I arrived. For me, Tomes & Treasures is something that has just always been there. But when something has always been there, it is easy to take for granted that it always will. Too many of us have taken Tomes for granted…and now it's too late. Like Bridget Books and Affinity Books, both of which closed in the last few years, Tomes & Treasures will soon be gone - part of Tampa Bay's gay history. In fact, Tomes was one of, if not the last, independent gay bookstore in Florida.

Not long ago I was browsing through the shelves at Tomes, and a particular book a friend had recommended came to mind - one of those I'd kept telling myself I would pick up sometime. I didn't see it in its usual location, and I didn't remember the author, so I asked Tomes' owner Bill Kanouff. When I mentioned the title, Bill knew the book immediately, without looking it up, and shared an anecdote about the author. "Books are my passion," says Kanouff.

Tomes & Treasures was the kind of store where you could browse and find a wide array of GLBT themed books and videos you won't find anywhere else in the Tampa Bay area. Sure, Best Buy may have Queer as Folk and The L Word for a better price, but do you think you'll find Bent or Iron Ladies, or any of the films shown at the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival there? Borders and Barnes & Noble may have a designated "gay" section, but that is primarily nonfiction, and unless you know what you're looking for, you can spend hours browsing the fiction sections before you run across one of "our" novels. And you definitely won't have any up-and-coming gay or lesbian authors doing book readings and signings at the big book supermarkets.

Kanouff has been underwriting the expenses of operating Tomes & Treasures and A Different Grind, the adjoining coffee shop, for several years. Kanouff says his financial advisor and accountant recommended that he cut his losses and close the store several years ago, after the 9/11 attacks. As was the case with many small businesses, there had been a sharp drop in revenue following 9/11. Kanouff says he saw it first in sales of 'pride' merchandise. "Everyone was putting American flags on their cars, not rainbow flags," he said.

But Kanouff held to his conviction that the "numbers" are only one part of the picture, and don't reflect the intangible benefits to the community of a business like Tomes. He pressed onward and hoped the community would show its support. There has been a small core group of supporters, but not enough to sustain the business, says Kanouff. It didn't help when coffee giant Starbucks opened just down the street.

Kanouff also cites a significant change in the demographics of the South Tampa "SoHo" neighborhood where Tomes & Treasures is located. What used to be one of the "gayest" ZIP codes in Tampa has over time become more and more yuppie heterosexual.

As usual, Tampa Bay's gay community won't realize what they've lost until it's gone. Kanouff, who for years has been a major sponsor of community events like Pridefest and the Film Festival, says he has no regrets. "There have been a lot of really strong supporters of Tomes & Treasures, and I want them to know how much I appreciate them. There just weren't enough of them," he adds with a shrug.

Tomes & Treasures survived longer than most GLBT bookstores in areas with much larger gay communities. Indeed, the gay bookstore is clearly an endangered species on the brink of total extinction. Manhattan's Oscar Wilde Bookstore, one of the oldest in the country, recently closed, some 18 months after a last-minute rescue by the owners of Washington DC's Lambda Rising Bookstore. A spokesperson from Lambda Rising stated that the Oscar Wilde continued to lose money and they just couldn't underwrite the store's expenses any longer. Indeed, Lambda Rising, itself, is in danger of closing, as sales decline and rentals in the gay Dupont Circle area of Washington DC continue to rise.

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