They also opened a second location in Silver Lake. Karen and Barry created a safe space in the gay epicenter of West Hollywood with their store, Circus of Books.
Their profession was largely kept a secret from their three children as well as their friends, given the attitudes toward pornography and homosexuality - especially in the store’s early years of operation.
Rachel Mason’s frisky documentary, “Circus of Books,” available April 22 on Netflix, introduces viewers to her parents, Karen and Barry, who owned the title hardcore gay adult bookstore in Los Angeles for more than 30 years.
