At the Crossroads
Reading, sipping coffee at local bookstore

By Heidi Basantes

A copy of How to be a Bitch with Style by Dr. Vikki Ashley stands out among other books at Crossroads Market Bookstore and Cafe. A cross between Barnes & Noble and Starbucks, Crossroads is much more inviting with a non-franchise feel. There is no pretentious "I'm cool because I'm sitting in a coffee shop" crowd there. Instead, the atmosphere is relaxed and intimate. Selections there range from national best sellers to gay/lesbian spirituality. The bookstore also carries various gifts and home decor, such as a line of Aspen Bay Candles, picture frames, gift wrap, T-shirts, incense, an extensive card and magazine selection, and holiday ornaments.

The bookstore attracts various customers with its selection.

"A good portion of our selection is gay/lesbian literature," said co-owner Tom Kane. "It just happens that this was part of our business plan strategy to do it this way. It's a knowledge that we're in a certain kind of community, a certain kind of neighborhood."

Kane said the surrounding community has responded well to the store and has helped contribute to the store's success.

"Most people are very happy that we're here," Kane said. "We've always been one of the top two or three largest selling, by volume, gay/lesbian stores in the country."

Because the bookstore is smaller than chain bookstores, some customers feel more at home here.

"They [employees] all know me. I get a lot more personal treatment here because they're [employees] more likely to recognize me here than at a chain [bookstore]," said customer Barry Fuhrman.

Fuhrman said he likes to come here because of its proximity and his ability to easily meet with friends at Crossroads.

"I'd rather support something that's local than something that's done nationally, and I just don't like big bookstores," Fuhrman said.

Sales associate David Ting said the atmosphere is different between the daytime and nighttime customers.

"It's different during the day because you get the regular crowd," Ting said. "In the evening it's more vibrant. It's like a meeting place here. People meet here and then go out."

In addition to the personal and local ambience of the bookstore, the store's resources contribute to its popularity.

"They [customers] can describe a book to us and we'll know what they're talking about because we're knowledgeable," Ting said.

With temperatures cooling, Crossroads provides a warming pass time to sip coffee and flip through magazines or a book of poetry. The bookstore is open everyday from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.

The cafe, connected to the bookstore, is open everyday from 7 a.m. to midnight.