South Carolina’s only independent, queer bookstore
We will serve as a place to shop, hang out, and build queer community. While our focus is on serving the queer community, we cannot do this without the support of friends and allies. Everyone is welcome is in the shop and we hope that you will find something you like, support queer authors and artists, and buy gifts for your queer friends and family.
Queer Haven Books’ name is based on our mission to provide “a place of safety and refuge” for the queer community in the Southern United States. Our hope is that we will be a safe haven from the many worries of the world. We define queer broadly to include all genders and sexualities that go against established norms, but also politically, as push back against all -phobias and -isms (homophobia, transphobia, heterosexism, racism, ableism, ageism, sexism, etc.) , discrimination, and violence in our society.
The store is now active online. You can find all of our available inventory below. We sell books of all genres and for all ages that are written by or for queer people, including books with queer main characters. We will also be around the state of South Carolina selling and meeting people at markets, so please come support us and meet us.
Once the brick-and-mortar store is open, we will have a space to hang out and enjoy a cup of coffee and some local baked goods from queer owned/run businesses. Sit down with a cup of coffee, read a queer book, play a queer game, and build a queer community around something other than a bar.
As a born-and-raised South Carolinian, who has spent most of their life in the Southeastern United States, Baker Rogers has seen the need for this business since they were young. Baker originally moved to Columbia, South Carolina in 2007 at the age of 22. There was a small, yet thriving queer scene in Columbia at the time, but after returning during the COVID pandemic in 2020, Baker saw that the queer scene in Columbia had shrunk, and more space is needed.
Queer Haven Books is led by founder and owner, Baker Rogers. Baker holds a Master of Social Work degree and a Ph.D. in Sociology. Baker has over eight years of experience in academia as a professor of Sociology and Social Services and is an author of six books and numerous academic articles on queer life in the Southeastern United States. While Baker has never ran a bookstore, they are working with queer people from a variety of sectors, including business and libraries, to ensure that Queer Haven Books meets the community’s needs. Baker has many supporters for this project who have expertise in a variety of areas to make this endeavor successful and a haven for queer people.
With a background in social work and sociology, Baker understands the problems with bars being the only gathering and community building space for queer people. Therefore, they set out to build a business to give queer people a place to gather and celebrate queer community that is not only in a bar. A place where friends and family can frequent, a place that supports reading and education, a place to find others like us and build community. Baker decided it was time to bring this idea to fruition and finally put their time and energy where their heart is. Therefore, in April of 2023, Baker incorporated Queer Haven Books, LLC. Once the lease on Queer Haven Books’ retail location is finalized, the location will be released to the public.
Please support your local queer bookstore by making a donation of any size. Queer Haven Books will be a place where you can browse and purchase exclusively queer books. Baker, along with a team of well-read experts, will be available to chat with you about your needs and interests. Further, Queer Haven Books will spotlight our local talented queer authors and host events such as book talks and signings. Our success is dependent on your support.
In addition to books, the store will offer coffee, snacks, and various other queer products such as games, art, and gifts. Events will include a variety of things of interest to the community, including drag story hour and other family-friendly events.
Queer Haven Books name is based on our mission to provide “a place of safety and refuge” for the queer community in the Southeastern United States. Our hope is that we will be a safe haven from the many worries of the world.