Calamus Bookstore

A gay bookstore. Who knew?
Not that there’s anything wrong with that and once I figured out what was up (I’d only seen «bookstore» and the good reviews before coming over), I looked for something I might send to a friend. Alas, the prices here were a bit out of my price range. But the staff seemed helpful, even if they were deep in conversation with another patron.
The street numbering on South Street is a little out of whack. This place is here, midway between East and Beach on the east side of the street.

I’ve been visiting this shop for years. It’s a little out of my way, but I make it a point to go in a few times a year. When John M. passed away, I was afraid that his store was gong to close, but his partner and a former employee Brian are looking to stay in business. I’m happy to hear that because you cannot walk in to any other store in Boston and find most of these titles. And I know that for many book lovers like myself, the book shopping experience is a lot of the fun.
I will continue to patronize Calamus Bookstore for as long as I can.

Really sweet, cozy bookshop with a wide-​ranging and eclectic collection — from queer theory to sci-​fi to romance novels. Lots of interesting used books you won’t find anywhere else.

Such an amazing mix of new and vintage lgbt books. I love this place. So many types of gay themed books to choose from as well as some movies. The very back of the store has an adult section. There is a huge selection of not just gay fiction but lesbian fiction as well. Whether your looking for fiction, biographies, art books, political texts, they have it.

The staff is really nice and helpful. A great selection of books. I went in to browse and see what they have and left with four books. Next pay day im definitely coming back.

Gay bookstores are to gays what Israel must be like for Jews; you’re glad you have a homeland but you don’t want to live there.
Perhaps it’s because the Internet killed bookstores or simply because our community has other means for dispersing information, this place is a throwback to the Stonewall era.
It’s curated by lovely older man who engages in casual conversation and classical musical is playing softly in the background. The collection itself is a bit puzzling as the sections are not clearly labeled and new books are mixed with used.
Even magazines and DVD porn are used, and that’s not something I want passed on from my gay brothers in arms. Aside from the ick factor, the models in those magazines have mullets!
If I seem ambivalent about this place, it’s because I’m struggling to justify its purpose in today’s society but still appreciative of its legacy. It’s like the spinster aunt (:cough: lesbian: cough:) who was your beloved Grandmother’s sister but not really much else in your life and yet you still entertain her at the holidays because that’s what we’re supposed to do.
Oy.

Went back to Calamus recently, and I am happy to report that it is still just as great as the first time I went. Their selection of sale/​discount books is nice, and they also seem to get new titles in pretty regularly. We found a couple of gems of out of print lesbo literature and had a pleasant hour of browsing.

Calamus bookstore is a independent gay bookstore. As far as I can tell it the only bookstore that is GLBT in Boston and we are lucky to have one. John the owner is genuinely a nice and intelligent guy. The name Calamus is as gay as the rainbow flag out front and is a reference to Walt Whitman whose image graces the storefront window.

One of the few gay-​owned bookstores still around, a sad fact. They have a great selection of books from new to old. Also a great selection by local Boston and New England writers. I highly recommend this place.