Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop is more than just a store; it’s a community
Al Viros jokingly describes her position at Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop as a “bookstore gremlin.”
She spelled her name for me as “A, L, V as in victory, I, R as in rotisserie chicken, O, S.” which makes sense since I was interviewing her as she set out the food, plates, and utensils for an Asian cuisine potluck lunch held at the store located on West Dominick Street in Rome. The event was an annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
“My parents are immigrants, and I am the firstborn in America. I want to share my culture through food,” she said, gesturing to the ethnic dishes her family prepared, which included lumpia, a type of eggroll, and pancit made with noodles.
Ngan Nguyen attended the event with friends because she likes to read and loves small businesses. Also, participating in activities like the potluck provides a valuable opportunity for her to celebrate the culture she left behind when she immigrated to the United States in 2014.
“I don’t blend in well,” she said. “I would love to do more Vietnamese cultural event-type things, but there are not enough of us. Putting myself out there and spreading the word that, ‘hey, there’s Vietnamese here too,’ is a good way to start.”
Robert Beaudry is also new to America. He came to this country from his native Canada after meeting and falling in love with his U.S.-born wife, Dusty, on the social media messaging platform Discord. Dusty Beaudry is also a content creator on the interactive live-streaming service Twitch, where one of her characters first drew his attention. She is so enthusiastic about the community she found at Keaton & Lloyd that she took me on a store tour, pointing out the treasures among the bookshelves and introducing me to some of the friends she’s met there.
The Beaudrys have the quintessential COVID-era love story. He reached out about her game character. She, normally wary of potential stalkers and other internet hazards, was feeling depressed from the long quarantine, so she took a chance and responded. An online romance blossomed from that interaction, with their Discord community cheering them on.
They blurted out a profession of love for each other during a Phasmophobia game streak, and their Discord community raised money so that they could meet in person. Their followers were also instrumental in arranging for his surprise proposal to her and their subsequent Niagara Falls wedding. The virtual community also stepped up and helped him navigate the process of arranging for a green card so that he could emigrate and they could live together in Rome.
Another person who championed their relationship is the potluck’s organizer, Al Viros. The couple has found that same sense of belonging and support they have online with many of their “IRL” friends at Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop.
“It helps me connect with the community,” Robert explained.
“It’s one of our favorite places,” Dusty says. “What I like is that it welcomes everybody. It’s not just a bookstore; it’s a community.
She remembers when she first read about the store on social media.
“I got excited because I am an avid reader,” she recalls. “So I started coming here and realized that my people are here. So once a month, there is something to do, and it’s people from the LGBTQ community, people who just don’t feel like they don’t have anyone to hang out with, people who are loners, and here we’re all family, so we can sit down and talk.”
“It’s a real hoot of a party!” Al Viros, the busy “bookstore gremlin,” said, surveying the crowd who were gathered at tables toward the back of the store and around a window seat at the front. “We do different events. We have theme potlucks, we have book talks and other community gatherings. We’ve been trying a plethora of different things to give variety and reasons for people to come together at the bookstore. So it’s more than just a shop where you can buy books; it is a community hub.”
The Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop is located at 236 W. Dominick Street, Rome, NY 13440. They are online at https://www.keatonandlloyd.com and Facebook.com/keatonandlloyd.
Their phone number is 315-795-2017, and they can be reached by email at keatonandlloyd@gmail.com. They are open Tuesdays-Thursdays 10:30 AM – 6:00 PM, Fridas 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Saturdays 10:30 AM – 6:00 PM, Sundays 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM, and Closed on Mondays.
Ron Klopfanstein is a multimedia investigative journalist, news and features editor, and creative content producer for the Utica Phoenix digital platform and 95.5 FM “The Heat” broadcast and streaming. He also hosts the Hot Seat: Media Monday every Monday at 5 pm, broadcast on 95.5 FM and streaming at 955TheHeat.com. Like him at Facebook.com/ReadRonKlopfanstein, Follow him at Threads.net/@RonKlopfanstein, Instagram.com/RonKlopfanstein, Twitter.com/RonKlopfanstein, Tiktok.com/@ronklopfanstein, and subscribe to his channel at YouTube.com/@RonKlopfanstein. Read all his work at Muckrack.com/ron-klopfanstein.
