Bookstores are born inside bars and cafes in SP, such as Pulsa, with LGBTQIA+ books

Before, bookstores used to house a cafe or restaurant, some even signed by chefs, to welcome and please customers in search of a drink or sweet treat between one book and another.

But now things seem to be turning around in São Paulo: there are coffee shops and even bars that open small bookstores inside their spaces, to satisfy the public with books between a coffee or even a drink – especially this Saturday, the 23rd, when it’s celebrated the World Book Day.

This is the case of Pulsa, which opened on the 8th, inside Das, a bar in the Santa Cecília region, in the center of the capital. The house and new bookstore are dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community, especially lesbian and bisexual women and transgender people.

“We thought of creating a newsstand, like Tatuí [na rua Barão de Tatuí, ali perto, também em Santa Cecília]but we discovered that it was all very expensive and bureaucratic”, explain Caroline Fernandes and Fer Krajuska, who run the bookstore. When they found out that the space where there was a sex shop inside Das was available for rent, they started negotiations. three months, Pulsa was ready.

There, it is possible to find works that travel through various genres and that were written by people from the LGBTQIA+ community or address topics related to this universe.

The collection is still small — there are about 40 titles, including publications by independent publishers and best-sellers. There are titles such as the comic book collection “The Essentials of Dangerous Shoes”, by Alison Bechdel (yes, the creator of the famous test that evaluates films from the point of view of gender equality), and “Awakening”, written by Octavia E. Butler , science fiction author.

“The bar is a fruitful place for ideas and exchanges, which has everything to do with literature”, says Fernandes. Who seems to have a similar opinion is Ricardo Sukys, from Lardo, a mixed bar and used bookstore that started to receive the public in September in Pompeia, in the west side of São Paulo.

Sukys, who defines himself as a hoarder, thought it would be a good idea to take part of his book collection to the bar. His partners contributed to the collection, which increased and generated a small used bookstore.

“The idea was to be more attractive, to be able to connect with the neighborhood in a different way and to offer more than just a bar service”, he explains.

While waiting for an order from the kitchen, such as the mushroom croquettes with Canastra cheese (R$28) and drinks such as the Fitzgerald (R$30), visitors can browse the shelf that extends along one of the walls of the house. There, you can find comics, national and foreign literature and works on science, politics, cinema and music. There are about 300 copies, with prices starting from R$ 30.

But there are also options for those who enjoy a coffee, as is the case of the store at number 86 of Rua Pirineus, in Campos Elíseos, central region. The space of the Yerba mate tea shop and the coffee shop For a Fistful of Dollars, PPD, also houses a bookstore and a vinyl record store.

The area dedicated to publications was launched in a partnership with Casa Plana, home of the former fair of independent publications Plana. With the pandemic, the partnership did not go forward, but the Yerba and PPD people decided to set up their own bookstore in the same space.

There are about 1,500 books, all new, including magazines, works of fiction, non-fiction and children’s literature. It is also possible to buy games, diaries, postcards and posters while waiting for a cup of coffee, which can be prepared in different methods, and a snack.

Or as Paulo Leminski wrote in a poem published in the book “Winterverno”: “Before the afternoon dawns / and the night becomes day / put poetry in coffee / and coffee in poetry”.

Lardo – Bar and Sebo
R. Guiara, 376, Pompeii, west region, tel. (11) 97854-0719, Instagram @lardo.pompeia

Yerba + A Fistful of Dollars
R. Pirineus, 86, Campos Elíseos, central region, Instagram @porumpunhadodedolares

pulse
R. Fortunato, 133, Santa Cecília, central region, Instagram @livrariapulsa​