Get Involved, Internet: Help save San Francisco’s historic City Lights bookstore

San Francisco is a city filled with iconic landmarks, but for book lovers, there’s always been one place that stands out among the rest. City Lights Bookstore opened in the city’s North Beach neighborhood in the early 1950s and, along with Vesuvio Cafe across the street, quickly became the number one hangout for writers, readers, beat poets, and proto-hippies. In the decades since, City Lights has remained a cultural institution, a shining beacon of the city’s longstanding commitment to the arts and to intellectual curiosity. Now, like so many businesses around the country, they’re in trouble and looking for a little help.

“Our bookstore has been closed to the public since March 16 and must remain closed for an indefinite period of time,” writes City Lights CEO Elaine Katzenberger on the company’s new GoFundMe page. “With no way to generate income, our cash reserves are quickly dwindling, with bills coming due and with a primary commitment to our staff, who we sent home with full pay and healthcare, and who we hope to keep as healthy and financially secure as possible.”