West Hollywood is the centre of gay retail in Los Angeles. Santa Monica Boulevard and the blocks around it have the shops that specifically serve the LGBTQ+ community, from pride merchandise and lifestyle stores to adult retail. The scene is not as concentrated as you find in some other major cities, but the key things are there.

Circus of Books

Circus of Books was a landmark. For decades, this store on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood was one of the most well-known gay bookshops and adult stores in the country. It was also a community institution in ways that went beyond retail: it sold gay publications when other stores would not, it employed queer people when other businesses would not, and it operated through the AIDS crisis when the community it served was being decimated. The store closed in 2019. A Netflix documentary about it — also called Circus of Books — came out in 2020 and is worth watching if you want to understand what the place represented. The building is still there; the store is not.

Its closure is a loss in the straightforward sense, and it reflects the broader pattern of LGBTQ+ retail spaces disappearing from cities as rents rise and shopping moves online. A few other shops carry books and LGBTQ-specific goods in WeHo, but nothing replaced Circus of Books directly.

What is there now

West Hollywood still has adult shops, pride merchandise stores, and lifestyle retail spread along Santa Monica Boulevard and the side streets. The quality and selection varies. Some are well-stocked and knowledgeable; others are tourist-oriented and surface-level. The better adult shops in WeHo carry a serious range of gear and are staffed by people who can actually help you find what you are looking for.

Silver Lake has some smaller, more independent shops. The Sunset Junction area has a few places that carry LGBTQ-related goods as part of a broader arts and lifestyle offering.

The shops

    • American Apparel — American Apparel Factory Store Clothing label known for its made-in-the-USA cotton basics in modern & retro styles.
    • Hollywood & Highland Center — The Hollywood & Highland Center is a shopping mall and entertainment complex at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district in Los Angeles.
    • out of the Closet - Echo Park — Thrift store selling clothing, books & housewares; profits go to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
    • Out of the Closet - Venice — Thrift store selling clothing, books & housewares; profits go to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
    • Rough Trade Gear — A welcome addition to WeHo's LGBTQ+ shopping — solid range, friendly atmosphere, and perfectly positioned for exploring West Hollywood.
    • The Beverly Center — Beverly Center is a shopping mall in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is a monolithic eight-story structure located at the edge of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, California, between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards.
    • The Grove — The Grove is a retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, California, built, owned, and operated by Rick J. Caruso and his company Caruso Affiliated on parts of the historical Farmers Market.
    • The Last Bookstore — Airy book & record store offering new & used items in a multilevel space adorned with local art.
    • The Santee Alley — Famed flea market features a range of vendors selling clothing, handbags, accessories & street fare.

Practical notes

Hours vary by shop type. Pride merchandise and lifestyle stores generally run 10am to 9pm or later. Adult stores keep longer hours, often until midnight or past. Check before making a special trip.

For the broader LA picture, see the Gay Los Angeles Guide.