Columbia bookstore calls off move to Taylor Street, citing nearby ICE office
A downtown Columbia bookstore says it won’t make a previously planned move to Taylor Street, citing the recent announcement of an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement office coming to Main Street.
Queer Haven Books, which offers books and gatherings that are welcoming to the LGBTQ community, previously announced it would be moving from its space in the Arcade Mall on Main Street to a larger space at 1219 Taylor St. a few blocks away.
But now the bookstore says its calling off that specific move.
“With the recent announcement that ICE is moving onto Columbia’s Main St., we at QHB have decided not to move to 1219 Taylor Street,” the bookstore said in a Feb. 20 post on social media and on its website. “The new location would have been within one block of ICE activities. We will not ask our customers and community members to endanger themselves by coming to a location so close to ICE.”
The bookstore’s announcement comes after the recent revelation that ICE had signed a 10-year, $4.3 million lease for 1441 Main St. in the heart of downtown Columbia.
The bookstore said that it is “working on an alternative” and that it would remain at its Arcade Mall location for “a few more weeks.” The shop said in the post that it hopes to share more information soon about future plans.
“This is not a decision we made lightly and it is costing us financially, but the safety of our community and providing a haven in this hellscape is our top priority,” the bookstore said in its post.
Queer Haven Books has been located in a roughly 600-square-foot space in the Arcade Mall since early 2024. The shop sells books, hosts author events, and often has a presence at Main Street’s Saturday morning Soda City Market.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 11:23 AM.
