Alvin Orloff’s Fabulosa Books is more than a bookstore; it is a cultural hub honoring queer history in San Francisco’s Castro District.
A leisurely stroll through San Francisco’s sunny and historic Castro District is just as artistic as it is empowering, and one local hotspot in particular truly immerses you into a charming, almost magical, must-visit escape.
Comfortably nestled on Castro Street just beside the iconic Castro Theatre sits Fabulosa Books, a can’t-miss queer space that has blossomed into a beloved community anchor way beyond a seemingly straightforward bookstore. Owned and operated by Alvin Orloff, this shop builds upon the legacy of its predecessor, A Different Light Books, and continues upholding its same reverence towards queer history, activism, and LGBTQ+ literature.
When A Different Light Books was shelved in 2011 after being a Castro mainstay since 1985, the “gayborhood” lost a vital cultural gathering space. Seeing the vacant storefront in 2015, Orloff, then managing Dog Eared Books in the Mission District, recognized a community void that needed to be filled. “A street without a bookstore is like a day without sunshine,” he reflects in our interview. By 2016, he helped open a Castro branch of Dog Eared Books in the same space, which naturally became “queerer and queerer by popular demand” over time. When the opportunity arose in 2019 to officially purchase the store, Orloff jumped at the chance, turning a new chapter for the space as Fabulosa Books in 2021 on his 60th birthday.
Since then, Fabulosa Books has become a stronghold for both the Castro District and the city, promising a cozy sanctuary for both book lovers and members of the queer community local and beyond. “We have absolutely no interest in being the sort of generic bookstore you’d find in an airport,” Orloff quips, and he effortlessly translates this notion through both the book collections and layout of the space itself.
Fabulosa Books Proprietor Alvin Orloff (Pnoto courtesy of Alvin Orloff)
The eye-catching window display and vibrant purple exterior of the enticing storefront welcomes you into an airy and relaxed interior radiantly illuminated with natural sunlight that glints off of the preserved tile floor. The spacious store feels warm and familiar, offering a calm reprieve from the outside bustle with bookshelves and center displays thoughtfully positioned for placid perusing. “I’m big fan of not cramming things together,” Orloff explains, “when the books get too tightly packed I can almost hear them crying, ‘let us breathe!’”
The bookshelves themselves proudly curate intersectional collections spanning all fiction and nonfiction genres new and old, including specified sections for trans, bisexual, and asexual voices and resources. Orloff elucidates, “most bookstores, even here in SF, only carry a few shelves of LGBTQ+ titles, if that. We’ve got an entire wall!”
Orloff strives to provide visitors with an ever-expanding selection that bridges generations and that can potentially unlock a new topic or genre of interest. “Along with new releases,” Orloff says, “we make a point of carrying both older classics and forgotten gems, alongside introducing customers to local queer writers like Jaime Cortez, Andrea Lawlor, Brontez Purnell, and Alexander Chee.
Aside from the expansive LGBTQ+ selection, Orloff also aims to reflect the larger historically countercultural spirit of San Francisco. “We do our best to honor the city’s bohemian tradition,” Orloff says proudly, “stocking books on radical and progressive politics, literature in translation, small press rarities, Beat literature, and alternative spirituality.”
The diversity in inventory, along with the store’s inclusive ambience, are what unequivocally evokes long lasting impacts from visiting Fabulosa. For families with queer children specifically looking to bond over queer narratives, “there really aren’t a lot of queer things that queer kids can do with their parents, but visiting our bookstore is one of them,” Orloff explains. “Parents come in with their newly out kids, nervous but eager to support them. By the time they leave, they’re smiling, and their kids have a stack of books in hand.”
Such heartwarming moments are often as unexpected as they are mutually rewarding for both the patrons and the staff. Orloff fondly recalls one moving interaction with a young visitor from out of town who became overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing the LGBTQ+ sections. “Is this entire wall really all LGBTQ+ stuff?” the visitor asked, and when the bookseller assured them and presented the store’s other LGBTQ+ sections, the visitor simply turned to the bookseller and asked earnestly, “Can I hug you?”
Genuinely impactful moments such as these deeply underscore the profound importance of maintaining a trusted destination where queer stories are not just held, but preserved and celebrated.
Store Interior (Photo courtesy of Fabulosa Books)
As nationwide book bans targeting LGBTQ+ content increase, Fabulosa has also been at the forefront of taking combative action for their patrons. Knowing the importance accurate and respectful queer media portrayals have on personal development, Orloff sympathizes, “We all firmly believe that stories save lives and more than a few of us remember growing up in a world without any positive queer representation.” Thus the store launched Books Not Bans, a registered nonprofit that sends banned books to LGBTQ+ organizations in states facing severe censorship. Funded by customer donations, the initiative ensures that queer literature reaches those who need it most, with some supporters requesting their donations be sent to an organization near their hometown. “For many of us, discovering queer stories saved our lives,” Orloff says. “We refuse to let these books disappear.”
Other current challenges independent brick-and-mortar bookstores like Fabulosa face include high rent prices and growing online competition. Orloff, though, remains positive and is thankful that he is able to keep the store thriving because of a community of loyal supporters. “Fortunately, there are still plenty of people who enjoy browsing and buying books in person,” he tells me.
Fabulosa has grown its supporters through a variety of engagement opportunities, encouraging new connections through their several author visits and book clubs. When asked about any standout discussions from these events, Orloff reminisces on a full circle moment when acclaimed author of the San Francisco-centric Tales of the City Armistead Maupin visited to read from his memoir, Logical Family.
“Over the years dozens of customers have told me they either moved to San Francisco or decided to visit because they’d read Tales of The City. And when I was a teenager in the 1970s, the book was my very first contact with queer literature. It really captures what’s most fun about San Francisco—the city of wildness and inclusivity.”
Photo courtesy of Fabulosa Books
Whether through in-store events, author readings, or grassroots activism, Fabulosa is dedicated to provide an intellectually stimulating, comforting, and joyful sanctuary. “We’re going to fight back the best way we know how,” Orloff declares, “by running a radically inclusive, fun, and well-mannered bookstore.” Thanks to his unwavering efforts, Fabulosa Books has risen as a valuable addition to San Francisco’s cultural tapestry that honors history, bridges connections, and uplifts the future. In the ever-evolving narrative of queer and independent bookstores, Fabulosa Books is undoubtedly writing the next chapter.
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