Giovanni's Room records
Scope and Content Note
The bulk of the records in this collection are financial in nature (sales receipts, expense invoices, and cancelled checks). There are also a small number of employment applications, inventory lists, and other records. The Archives has more Giovanni's Room materials in its ephemera files.
Box 1: Pre-1980 Records
Box 2: Inventories -- late 70s
Box 3: Bookkeeping, Cancelled Checks 1983
Box 4: Bookkeeping, Cancelled Checks 1984
Box 5: Sales Receipts 1983-87
Box 6: Sales Receipts 1983-87
Box 7: Sales Receipts 1983-87
Box 8: Sales Receipts 1988-89
Box 9: Sales Receipts 1988-89
Box 10: Sales Receipts 1991
Box 11: Expense Invoices, Petty Cash Receipts 1983-84
Box 12: Expense Invoices 1981-85
Box 13: Expense Invoices 1985-86
Box 14: Expense Invoices 1985-86
Box 15: Expense Invoices 1987-88
Box 16: Expense Invoices 1987-88
Box 17: Expense Invoices 1987-88
Box 18: Expense Invoices 1987-88
Box 19: Expense Invoices 1988-90
Box 20: Expense Invoices 1989-90
Box 21: Expense Invoices 1991
Box 22: Expense Invoices 1991
Box 23: Expense Invoices 1991
Box 24: Expense Invoices 1991
Box 25: Taxes pre-1987
Box 26: Employment Applications -- rejected
Box 27: Miscellaneous
Dates
- circa 1975-1991
Creator
- Giovanni's Room (Bookstore). (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access Note
Contact John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives of Philadelphia for information about accessing this collection.
Biographical/Historical Note
Giovanni's Room, among the oldest gay and lesbian bookstores in the United States, was founded in 1973 at 232 South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by three Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) members, Tom Wilson, Bernie Boyle and Dan Sherbo. In 1974 they sold the business to lesbian activist Pat Hill. In 1976, when the South Street building was sold, Pat sold out to Arleen Olshan and Ed Hermance, and they relocated the shop to 1426 Spruce, and finally to its present location [as of 2012] at 12th and Pine in 1979.
Paralleling the growth of Philadelphia's "out" community and the expansion of publishing in its subject areas, the store doubled three times from its beginning on South Street to its present two buildings (one a double trinity from the 1820s, the other a mom-and-pop store and house from the 1880s) on the corner of South 12th and Pine Streets. Olshan left the partnership in 1986.
Extent
27 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Giovanni's Room, the oldest LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) bookstore in the United States, was founded in Philadelphia in 1973 and is still in operation as of 2012. The bulk of the Giovanni's Room records, circa 1975-1991, are financial in nature.
Location Note
Collections 10.5, Collections 15, and Collections 16
General Physical Description note
27 boxes
Processing Information Note
Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2011-2012 as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR), using data provided by the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives of Philadelphia. The HCI-PSAR project was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was done in the HCI-PSAR project.
Creator
- Giovanni's Room (Bookstore). (Organization)
- Title
- Giovanni's Room records, circa 1975-1991
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by staff of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories using data provided by the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives of Philadelphia
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Sponsor
- This preliminary finding aid was created by staff of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) using data provided by the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives of Philadelphia. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Repository Details
Part of the John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center Repository