Features
Celebrating Black-Owned Bookstores Across America
Hear from the booksellers behind these bookstores that honor legacy, spark joy, and nurture readers’ imaginations.
It is stories that define us, and it is in bookstores that we go to revel in them. To celebrate Black Business Month, meet the booksellers who are committed to amplifying Black voices, preserving history, and curating communities. From facing centuries of systemic barriers to drawing crowds to meet beloved authors, hear directly from booksellers in their own words, and don’t miss Black-Owned, the new book by NBC News journalist Char Adams, which chronicles the trailblazing history of Black-owned bookstores in America.
Turning Page Bookshop | Liz’s Book Bar | Taylor & Co. Books | Black Garnet Books | Semicolon Books | Grassrootz Bookstore | Loyalty Bookstore |
Turning Page Bookshop
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Owner: VaLinda Miller
Instagram: @turningpagebookshop
What inspired you to open a bookstore, and what did that journey look like from idea to reality?
The inspiration to open a bookstore was deeply rooted in a lifelong passion for reading, a passion kindled by my grandmother. Growing up in Georgia, she faced restrictions and wasn’t allowed to enter libraries due to segregation. Despite these barriers, she nurtured a love of books and shared that with me. I vividly remember her walking me to the local library in Washington, D.C., sparking my lifelong love affair with literature. Now, in my own way, I aim to be the person who guides both children and adults to the enriching worlds found in bookstores and libraries.
Can you share a book or author that was pivotal in shaping your relationship with reading or your identity?
Several books and authors have significantly influenced my relationship with reading and my identity. Works by James Baldwin, such as If Beale Street Could Talk, and Mary McCarthy’s The Group have been pivotal. I also found inspiration in Jackie Collins’ Chances, Alex Haley’s Roots, and Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. These stories, along with many others, have deepened my appreciation for diverse narratives and the profound impact literature can have on one’s life.
What role do you see your bookstore playing in your community beyond selling books?
Beyond selling books, I envision my bookstore as a safe haven for the community — a place where individuals can be themselves while enjoying a cup of coffee, some quiet reading time, and the freedom to browse as many books as they like. It’s an inclusive space that fosters a love of reading and encourages people to explore the world through literature.
Liz’s Book Bar
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Owner: Maura Cheeks
Instagram: @lizsbookbar
What inspired you to open a bookstore, and what did that journey look like from idea to reality?
There’s a certain responsibility that comes with operating a public space, and I have long been drawn to the idea of opening a shop that makes people feel comfortable, inspired, and part of a community. I worked at Book Club Bar in the East Village for a year to gain experience, and spent about two years developing a business plan. After applying for a Small Business Administration loan and receiving approval, I began looking for spaces to lease.
What role do you see your bookstore playing in your community beyond selling books?
To foster connections between strangers and help people feel less lonely and isolated.
What has been one of the most rewarding (or surprising) moments since opening your store?
Discovering how much Liz’s Book Bar means to so many people has been incredible. I love my regulars. Building this type of business is extremely hard, but when I walk into the shop and see familiar faces or receive a card from a customer telling me how much the shop means to them, it truly is one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever experienced.
Can you share a book or author that was pivotal in shaping your relationship with reading or your identity?
Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and George Eliot.
Taylor & Co. Books
Location: Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, New York
Owner: Andrew Colarusso
Instagram: @taylorcobooks
What role do you see your bookstore playing in your community beyond selling books?
My goal was to create a space that honors the strange neighborhood I grew up in. To stock buzzy books, deep cuts, and curious provocations. I wanted to start a bird-watching club and host events for locals to gather, meet, share ideas, find love, and spread gossip. Since we’ve opened, our Ditmas Park Birdwatcher’s Club continues to draw lovely numbers. It’s been a joy to collaborate with people. And for the first time in 30+ years of my family living in this strange neighborhood, I feel some semblance of community, which is to say, the kind of accountability that alloys us to have purpose and meaning. It’s not really a bookstore. But it is a small and, so far, self-sustaining (and truly exhausting) labor of love where, more than anything, I hope the language we allow — the language we platform — remains a testament to Truth (capital T). We are here to give language to the people who care for and need language.
What has been one of the most rewarding (or surprising) moments since opening your store?
So this one time, a week or two after Free Comic Book Day (first Saturday in May), I stepped outside to sulk, stop looking at emails, and catch my breath after a barrage of draining customer experiences, when I noticed two kids making faces at me from a long cheese bus. They were inviting me into a moment of play — much needed, though I hadn’t realized it. So, I made a silly face back, and they laughed — two good sports.
I still had some comics left over from Free Comic Book Day, so I had an idea: maybe I could give them each a free (age-appropriate) comic. If I went back inside, grabbed two comics, and the bus was still idling in traffic by the time I returned, I’d sneak them up to the kids.
Lo and behold, the bus was still there.
I slunk up to the side of the bus as if about to exchange contraband and, on tiptoes, handed the comics up to them. I could see the kids looking around cautiously as I approached with “things” for them — all of us feeling, perhaps, that this was a violation of every protocol when dealing with adult strangers, children, and the transmissibility of windows. But honestly, in my defense, it was their fault for breaking the fourth wall of the bus window.
So, I broke it a little more.
A little hand reached out to receive the comics, and I hastily slunk away. Like the Orpheus I am, I looked back to see their reactions — and they were both fixed to their seats, eyes glued to their new comics, heads down as if praying.
Black Garnet Books
Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Owner: Terresa Hardaway
Instagram: @blackgarnetbooks
What role do you see your bookstore playing in your community beyond selling books?
We’re intentional about cultivating a culture of care and uplifting the work of collective liberation through access to a thoughtfully curated selection — not just of books, but also merchandise, events, and community gatherings that center the voices of Black and brown people.
What inspired you to open a bookstore, and what did that journey look like from idea to reality?
Black Garnet Books was founded by Saint Paul community member Dionne Sims during the summer of 2020, in direct response to state violence and the purposeful and unconscious exclusion of Black people from the literary community. The brick-and-mortar store opened its doors in 2022 to confront racial inequality within the publishing and literary industries — both nationally and within the state of Minnesota.
We continue this work under my leadership as I acquired the store in 2024 and remain unapologetic about the truth that Black lives matter and that Blackness must be centered in all movement work. In our effort to address inequality, we’ve curated our shelves to spotlight literature by authors and illustrators of color, ensuring that every purchase made at our store directly supports the continued telling of our stories.
Semicolon Books
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Owner: DL Moore
Instagram: @semicolonchi
What role do you see your bookstore playing in your community beyond selling books?
We’re a nonprofit bookseller, so our community work is what I’m most proud of! Our #ClearTheShelves program gives away thousands of free books each year to bridge the literacy gap in communities of color — and I’m grateful for that to be our legacy.
What inspired you to open a bookstore, and what did that journey look like from idea to reality?
The inspiration to open my shop came from wanting to experience a space that had only existed in my imagination. I wanted to see books and art by Black people coexisting in the same space.
Grassrootz Bookstore
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Owner: M Ali Nervis
Instagram: @grassrootzbookstore
What has been one of the most rewarding (or surprising) moments since opening your store?
Creating a space that helps build community is incredibly rewarding. Every Sunday, we host chess lessons and chess games. The community comes out to learn the game, sharpen their skills, and sit across the table from fellow community members. We see elders sit with the youth. We’ve seen relationships and friendships form. It never gets old.
What inspired you to open a bookstore, and what did that journey look like from idea to reality?
Having safe spaces is essential for the growth and development of our community. There was a Black-owned café I used to take my daughters to for smoothies and baked goods. When it closed, we were heartbroken — but I started thinking about what it would mean to create a space for us and for other families to make new memories.
While looking at a space for our nonprofit organization, Archwood, I noticed another space available next door. A friend of mine, Ebone Johnson, suggested opening a café/bookstore for the community. I loved the idea. And even though that first location didn’t materialize, I held on to the vision until I found the right space — inside Afri-Soul Marketplace and Education Center.
What kinds of stories or genres do you feel are most needed or most loved by your readers right now?
History and political education will always get my vote for what’s most needed. If we hope to change the present, we must understand the forces that have shaped it. Our readers are also deeply interested in Afrofuturism, spirituality, comic books, children’s books, and poetry.
Loyalty Bookstore
Location: Petworth, DC
Owner: Hannah Oliver Depp
Instagram: @loyaltybooks
Can you share a book or author that was pivotal in shaping your relationship with reading or your identity?
On one used bookstore trip during a vacation in middle school, I found James Baldwin and Samuel Delany. I thought I had discovered the secrets of the universe, and in a way, I had! I hadn’t heard of either of them at that point and truly devoured their books immediately, thinking I’d uncovered some secret genius — turns out I wasn’t the first person to realize these queer, Black authors were brilliant, haha! But the fact that I, as a queer Black kid, had never heard of them has become a large part of why I run Loyalty the way I do; I want us, in all our complexity, across all genres, faced out on the shelf and loved.
What inspired you to open a bookstore, and what did that journey look like from idea to reality?
I was a bookseller at a larger store here in town, and I loved directing community engagement — the relationship a bookstore has with its neighborhood is so vital. There’s a back-and-forth between a bookseller and their neighbors unlike any other — you push your block, and your block pushes you! But traditional publishing and bookselling cater to a majority white, and often affluent, buyer, and I knew from experience that this missed a huge swath of book lovers. Though there were growing and significant efforts to showcase diverse titles, I didn’t want it to be just an additional task on top of running the store. I wanted our stories to be the central pillar of the store — to be the guiding force behind every decision, whether it’s what gets on the shelves, who we work with on events, or even our stickers! I spent the next few years learning everything I could from other generous booksellers, authors, and publishers, and began doing pop-ups. Loyalty opened in 2019, almost right into the pandemic, and it has been leaning into my community that has kept us going!
What kinds of stories or genres do you feel are most needed or most loved by your readers right now?
I think the more specific a story is right now, the more people can find their way into it. It’s in those grounded details that we actually connect to a story, whether it directly reflects us or not. I am always advocating for more Black genre fiction — we solve mysteries, we have mythologies, we have histories, we have love in every situation imaginable. It is a ripe and full experience, and I want to see as many different types of stories as possible. As a kid who loved fantasy and didn’t see myself in those stories until college, I am greedy for more — and from our sales of books like Legendborn and Binti, it’s clear I’m not alone.
Book Recommendations From These Booksellers:
