The Bureau of General Services - Queer Division, long a West Village hub for queer books, readings and art, is staring down a possible closure at the end of April after its owners announced plans to relocate out of state. In steps Hive Mind Books, a queer bookstore and cafe in Bushwick, which has kicked off a buyout push and crowdfunding drive aimed at keeping the Bureau’s shelves stocked and its events calendar alive. Under the proposal, the Bureau would keep its name and programming while tying into Hive Mind’s staff and the LGBT Community Center’s lobby cafe.
"People want this here, they need it and they’re relying on this store for gathering," Hive Mind founder Jules Wernersbach told Gothamist after months spent reviewing the Bureau’s numbers. The Bureau’s co-founders, Donnie Jochum and Greg Newton, plan to relocate in April, which would leave the shop without its longtime stewards. Wernersbach says Hive Mind’s team wants to keep the Bureau’s identity intact while sharing back-office support and coordinating programming across both locations.
To pay for the acquisition, Hive Mind has launched a GoFundMe with a 50,000 dollar goal, with the campaign page currently showing about 16,655 dollars raised. The listed uses include an initial purchase payment, paid staff positions, upgrades to point-of-sale and e-commerce systems, and reopening the Center cafe. Hive Mind opened its storefront at 219 Irving Avenue in late 2024, according to Gay City News, and Wernersbach says the two shops would keep distinct identities even if joined behind the scenes.
The Bureau operates inside the LGBT Community Center in the West Village, in Room 210, a compact retail and event space that leans heavily on volunteers. The Center’s site lists the Bureau’s hours and programming, and the Bureau’s own pages now carry a "Help save the Bureau!" notice about the transfer effort. Organizers say that turning volunteer roles into paid jobs and bringing the cafe back to life are key pieces of any plan to keep a queer bookstore financially viable in Manhattan.
A Fragile Ecosystem For Queer Bookstores
Independent queer bookshops in New York have thinned out as rising costs and intermittent closures chip away at in-person gathering spots for LGBTQ+ readers. A recent report from PEN America documents thousands of school-level book bans and challenges, a wave of restrictions that advocates say makes community bookstores even more vital. Local losses, including the recent closure of Bluestockings, have further narrowed in-person access to queer literature and raised the stakes for Hive Mind’s campaign around the Bureau.
What Happens Next
The Bureau’s owners have said they will close the shop by April 30 if they cannot arrange a transfer of ownership, a deadline reported by Publishers Weekly. Hive Mind’s fundraiser sets a June 1 target for reaching the initial 50,000 dollar goal, according to the GoFundMe, and organizers say discussions about a transfer will continue in the coming weeks. Campaign language and coverage state that any purchase would support paid staffing and cafe equipment in an effort to build a more sustainable operation.
If the deal goes through, Hive Mind’s organizers hope to link events and sales between the two stores while preserving what has made the Bureau a community anchor. "The joining of the Bureau to the café and to Hive Mind Books will create a mutually-supporting network of queer cultural spaces in NYC," Bureau co-owner Greg Newton said, as reported by Gothamist. For now, the Bureau remains open on a limited schedule, and the fundraiser stands as the clearest path to keeping a staffed queer bookstore in Manhattan, a small but meaningful home base for readers, artists and organizers.
