14 Black-Owned Book Stores To Support Right Now

By Keyaira Boone ·April 20, 2021April 20, 2021

Black-owned bookstores provide pathways to imagining new worlds — or just our escaping our own — prioritizing Black stories and storytellers consistently in a country that once considered it illegal for Black people to have the right to read.

Literacy is one of the most importantaria-label="authors (opens in a new tab)" href="https://ift.tt/38Y9F3z" target="_blank">authors and distribute publications that are not widely available, they often double as meeting spaces, art galleries, and affordable vendor marketplaces for the neighborhood in which they are located.

Like many retail-based businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic and rising commercial rents threaten their ability to continue providing vital services which makes supporting these stores even more crucial at this time. See 15 Black-owned bookstores you can visit in your city or shop online below.

01Fulton Street BooksOnikah Asamoa-Caesar opened this book store in Tulsa, Oklahoma to aid in building representation, literacy, and community.

Shop Here 02Café Con LibrosThis Brooklyn bookstore and cafe is a haven for the intellectual intersectional Feminist.

Shop Here 03Noelle SantosAfter the last bookstore in her Bronx neighborhood closed Noëlle Santos sprung into action. The result? A modern bookstore and wine bar perfect for poetry readings and mimosa binges.

Shop Here 04Uncle Bobbie’s Books and CoffeeActivist, commentator and scholar, Marc Lamont Hill brought this gem to the Germantown area.

Shop Here 05Kareemah’s Urban BookstoreThis bookstore sits in the heart of South Philly.

06Modern Tribe BooksFounder Maeva Jackson opened this store to provide access to titles that promote self-empowerment and holistic health.

Shop Here 07The Little Boho BookshopSandra Dear opened this sweet little bookshop to share her love of reading with her community in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Shop Here 08Mahogany BooksRamunda Young, Mahogany Young, and Derrick Young opened this family-owned bookstore in 2007 to make it easier for readers to locate work written by and focused on Black people across the diaspora. It is located in Washington, DC.

Shop Here 0944th & 3rdWarren, Cheryl, and Allyce Lee wanted to provide access to the “richness, diversity and genius of Black expression,” with their bookstore in Atlanta, Georgia. They settled on opening the store after Cheryl proposed their business plan as her thesis.

Shop Here 10Enda’s BooktiqueProprietor E. Jean offers programming, tutoring, and special events at this shop in Duncanville, Texas.

Shop Here 11The Listening TreeAfter failing to find adequate representation for their children Omar and Kimberly created a bookstore filled with the selections they wanted to see.

Shop Here 12Source BooksellersFormer teacher Janet Webster Jones is furthering the family legacy (her mom was a librarian) by running this Michigan shop.