Gay and lesbian bookstore White Rabbit closed its Raleigh location today.
qnotes publisher Jim Yarbrough and qnotes associate editor David Stout bought the business in 2007. They moved the Raleigh location from Martin St. to the Hue condo development on Hargett St. in January.
“This building has been a nightmare,” Yarbrough told Raleigh’s News & Observer on Tuesday. “There’s supposed to be other retail tenants, and that never materialized. That’s not what we were told when we moved in here.”
Yarbrough also said a bad economy has also hurt business.
The store, which sells books, CDs and DVDs, gifts, clothing and other items, has had a presence in the state since 1985, when former owner John Neal opened its first location in Greensboro in 1985. The downtown Raleigh location opened on Martin St. in 1991, followed by Charlotte a year later.
The Raleigh location’s merchandise, equipment and other items will be transferred to the Charlotte location.
“For now this is it in Raleigh,” Yarborough told the daily newspaper’s .biz blog. “I’d love to come back one day. We do have our Charlotte store and hopefully that one will survive.”
Read more at the News & Observer:
blogs.newsobserver.com/business/white-rabbit-closing-raleigh-store
newsobserver.com/2010/12/01/835498/white-rabbit-books-closes-in-downtown.html
Very sad news !
We will miss you.
the local lgbt community has to accept some of the blame as well.. if not all of it. Another LGBT bookstore close due to the lack of community support
This is sad. Whenever I’m in Raleigh, I try to stop in and at least say hi and buy something to show some support.
It’s really important the gay community supports gay-owned businesses as well as sponsors/advertisers of gay organizations.
Hold on through guys,
Bambi Weavil
CEO/President of Out Impact, Inc.