Dog Eared Books Becomes ‘Fabulosa’ in September

September brings ‘Fabulosa’ change to a staple San Francisco bookstore

Dog Eared Books on Castro Street struggled through the pandemic and nearly went under. But by the grace of generous donors, PPP loans and some good old fashioned staff grit, the store lives on, though it will be taking on a new name. The shop will be an independent bookstore under a different name, officially becoming Fabulosa Books as of Sept. 15.

The establishment at 489 Castro Street will remain open and ready to serve up its eclectic mixture of literature to its equally eclectic customers, preserving its special love for the LGBTQ community.

The change came about when proprietor Kate Razo decided to sell the stock and fixtures to Alvin Orloff, the store manager. He’ll tweak a few things but vows to keep the Dog Eared Books vibe that makes the place so beloved, a take quickly proved with a trip through the glowing Yelp reviews posted by locals and tourists alike.

Dog Eared Book at 489 Castro Street in San Francisco, Calif. will become Fabulosa Books as of Sept. 15, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Dog Eared Castro)

In a press release issued Tuesday morning, Orloff recalled the tough times the shop waded through, saying:

“But we were determined to survive because a neighborhood without a bookstore is like a day without sunshine. … Nothing is more cheering than to see visitors from less tolerant parts of the globe exclaim with wonder at the sight of our gigantic wall of LGBTQ+ books. We’re very mindful of the fact we’re occupying the same space as A Different Light Books, which served queer San Francisco during the difficult years of the 1980s, ‘90s, and early 2000s.”

Due to health risks driven by the latest Delta surge, Orloff isn’t quite ready to host in-store events and regrets that the open house party will be delayed, but the safety and staff and those who love the store have to come first.

He said:

“However we promise to do our best to make every day at Fabulosa feel like a party… or at least the kitchen of a party where all the bookworms congregate to get away from the hubbub and talk about what they’re reading.”

Until then, Fabulosa is happy to offer up all the same wonderful goods that made Dog Eared Books the place to go for new and used books, stickers, buttons and posters. They will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday and Monday.