I know exactly where this is. This is Gould’s. If you go to this article about its potential closure, the cat access window is at the end of the aisle to the left of the bottom of the staircase. You can see the black edge of the windowframe. The third photo down in the article shows the window up close (sans cat). I spent many happy hours (and parted with many dollars) in Gould’s. There was always at least one cat in residence – with over two million books, the services of a good mouser are invaluable. Something of the soul of the place went when the original owner died, but the family is trying to keep it going. I thought it had closed down, but the website is still active, so maybe not?
You should at least read about Bob Gould, to see why independent bookstores and free speech go hand in hand in society. (Gould’s always had a comprehensive LGBTQIA+ section.)
Funny, how one picture posted on this random website by a canadian blogger who probably didn’t even know the origin could be so instantly recogniseable to someone who’s actually been there, and knows it couldn’t be anywhere else on earth.
knitting in the dark 