Karen and Barry Mason didn’t got down to change into one of many largest distributors of homosexual porn, however when the conservative Jewish couple noticed the potential to make some critical money, they went balls to the partitions. Circus of Books, which premieres on Netflix on April 22, tells the story of how the straight(-laced) couple got here to personal the long-lasting bookstore and homosexual porn store in West Hollywood. The movie was written and directed by Rachel Mason, Karen and Barry’s daughter, and was produced by Ryan Murphy. The movie reveals how Circus of Books grew to become a group house for homosexual/bi males within the '80s, '90s, and '2000s. It additionally reveals how proudly owning the institution difficult the lives of the shop house owners and their three kids.

Here is what to find out about Circus of Books, together with the place it's now.

How did Karen and Barry Mason come to personal Circus of Books?

They have been in search of jobs. Because the LA Occasions notes, previous to proudly owning the bookstore, Barry offered equipment he’d invented for a dialysis machine however needed to cease when the value of malpractice insurance coverage skyrocketed. Karen beforehand labored at a journalist. At some point within the newspaper, she noticed an advert searching for journal distributors for none different the Larry Flynt, the founding father of Hustler Journal.

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The couple then drove round distributing the magazines to liquor shops and newsstands. There was one place referred to as E book Circus that might order 600 homosexual titles, together with the favored Blueboy and Honcho, and immediately, they might promote out. When that store ended up having some monetary troubles, Barry and Karen ended up shopping for the shop in 1982 and turned it into Circus of Books.

What number of Circus of Books existed?

At its peak, there have been three Circus of Books branches throughout Los Angeles: the unique location in West Hollywood, one in Silverlake, after which a closing department in Sherman Oaks.

Are any of the Circus of Books places nonetheless open?

The Sherman Oaks department was short-lived, closing within the '90s on account of being too near an elementary faculty, notes the LA Occasions. The Silverlake department opened in 1985, and closed in 2016, after 31 years. At present, it’s a marijuana dispensary referred to as MOTA (Drugs of the Angels). The West Hollywood department closed in February of 2019.

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In January of 2020, the WeHo department reopened below new possession as Chi Chi LaRue’s Circus (NSFW). That is the second storefront for Chi Chi Larue, which is a a number of AVN award-winning retailer. The primary location is only a mile down Santa Monica Blvd. on the opposite facet of West Hollywood. The brand new retailer pays homage to Circus of Books (as made clear within the title), however as LAmag notes, "The place the previous Circus of Books was a darkish and considerably dingy cruising spot with a lot of the home windows lined up—some by the drop ceilings—the brand new house is voluminous, abounding with glass tables stacked with homosexual artwork books, freshly painted carnation-pink partitions, and tangerine Kandinsky chairs.”