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This bookstore, eatery, full bar, and performance/gallery space brightened up the former gothic digs of the Korova Milk Bar at a time when other gay daytime hangouts (namely Chelsea’s Big Cup) had shuttered. By day, the clean, well-lit space percolates to an indie-pop soundtrack: The long blonde bar in back attracts book browsers and chatty GLBT freelancers while the dozen tables and comfy couch in front provide makeshift stations for wi-fi piggybackers munching on power bars and turkey sandwiches. The coffee is fair-trade—in keeping with the radical books on offer—and the baked goods happen to be prepared by Lee Chappell, the man who started Saturday nights at the Roxy. That club this is not, but after 6 p.m., a lively mix of Madonna and New Order mash-ups ushers a shift into wine (or Rock Hard Pink Lemonade) territory. Members of the downtown gAy-list drop in for everything from film screenings to Wednesday-night readings by the likes of John Cameron Mitchell, Mike Albo, and Joey Arias. — Adam H. Graham