Book Beat

01 / The story of this place

Make time for these

Cary Loren opened Book Beat in 1982 with Colleen Kammer, building an independent bookstore around art, photography, literature and Detroit history at a time when small bookstores were already fighting to survive against the chains. Loren had come out of Detroit's underground art and music scene of the 1970s, where he co-founded the noise-rock group Destroy All Monsters with Niagara, Ron Asheton and Mike Kelley before turning his attention to books and photography. Book Beat built a reputation among collectors and artists nationally for its selection of rare, out-of-print and small-press titles, and it carved out gallery space inside the store for outsider and folk art shows. More than four decades later, the shop still hosts author signings, reading groups and exhibitions from its Oak Park storefront, one of the last true independent bookstores of its kind in the Detroit area.

1. Opened in 1982 by Cary Loren and Colleen Kammer
2. Loren co-founded the band Destroy All Monsters in the 1970s
3. Known for rare, out-of-print, art and photography books
4. Houses a gallery for outsider and folk art
5. Still hosts author events and reading groups today