Such a limited bookselling climate didn’t bode well for books by, about, and for African Americans who were considered a “niche market” without significant consumer power.īut that was changing. The Negro Yearbook, for instance, reported that there were only fifteen bookstores of “Negro proprietorship” in the entire nation in 1939 (184). This meant that “For a large portion of the country’s population, access to books for purchase remained extremely limited” (30).īookselling in Black communities mirrored this national trend. “ost booksellers were still small and independent,” Miller notes, and “with the exception of department stores, mass retailers played a relatively minor role in bookselling during the first half of the twentieth century” (30). In less than twenty years, then, the total number of businesses that sold books doubled, though remained low overall, primarily because the bookselling industry was slow to rationalize. By the late 1940s, this number had increased to 3,041 book outlets plus another 5,000 drug stores, variety chain stores, and magazine outlets (30). To wit: Laura Miller’s study, Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, tells us that in 1930, there were only 4,053 book outlets in the US, many of which were not bookstores, but drug stores, gift shops, and rental libraries (30). Actual bookstores-shops devoted entirely to the selling of books-were somewhat rare, with most book sales coming from drug stores, department stores, or other general merchandise establishments. Up until the later part of the twentieth century, most Americans did not buy books at a bookstore. That Black bookstores were so prominent in Chicago is significant, especially considering that book stores writ large were still relatively uncommon throughout the country. Bronzeville nevertheless thrived as a center of Black entrepreneurship, culture, the arts, and, it turns out, Black bookselling. Remembered mostly for its theaters, taverns, jazz clubs, and other venues of commerce, Bronzeville was a thriving Black Metropolis in the first half of the twentieth century that, in part, grew out of restrictive covenants and other racist policies that upheld white supremacist practices throughout the city. Please feel free to reach out to us with any corrections, or additions to this Black-owned businesses here.With renewed interest across the country in Black-owned bookstores and booksellers-like Chicago’s own Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery-now is an important time to remember that Bronzeville was an epicenter of Black bookselling in the 1940s. The African American Literature Book Club, online Solid State Books, Washington, D.C. ( Libro.fm storefront) Loyalty Bookstore, Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Md. ( Libro.fm storefront)Ĭharnice Milton Community Bookstore, Washington D.C. ( Libro.fm storefront)īooks and Crannies, Martinsville, Va. ( Libro.fm storefront)īeauty and Brains Books, Houston Tex ( Libro.fm storefront)īlack Pearl Books, Austin Tex ( Libro.fm storefront) Uncle Bobbie's Books and Cafe, Philadelphia, Pa ( Libro.fm storefront) ( Libro.fm storefront)Įlizabeth's Bookshop and Writing Centre, Akron Ohio ![]() ![]() Sister's Uptown Bookstore, New York, N.Y. ( Libro.fm storefront)Ĭafe Con Libros, Brooklyn, N.Y. Janco Books, Las Vegas Nv ( Libro.fm storefront) Marshall Books and Music Store, Jackson Ms - 60Įye See Me, University City, Mo. Nandi's Knowledge Cafe, Highland Park, Mich. Olive Tree Books-n-Voices, Springfield, Mass.īlackstone Bookstore & Cultural Center, Ypsilanti, Mich. ( Libro.fm storefront)īliss Books & Wine, Kansas City, KC ( Libro.fm storefront)īetween the Lines Bookstore, Baton Rouge, La. ( Libro.fm storefront)īrian Lair Books, South Bend, Ind. ( Libro.fm storefront)īeyond Barcodes Bookstore, Kokomo, Ind. ( Libro.fm storefront)īlack Dot Cultural Center and Bookstore, Lithonia, Gaīrave and Kind Books, Decatur, Ga. ( Libro.fm storefront)Ĥ4th and 3rd Bookseller, Atlanta, Ga. ( Libro.fm storefront)Įden Books, Chiefland, Fla. The Key Bookstore, Hartford, Conn. ( Libro.fm storefront)Ĭultured Books, St. People Get Ready, New Haven, Conn. ( Libro.fm storefront) The Collective Oakland, Oakland Ca ( Libro.fm Storefront) Pyramid Art, Books, & Custom Framing, Little Rock, Ark. You can also use this Google Map (created by Don Gorman) that tracks all the independent bookstores across North America. Please email us with any corrections or additions. We appreciate the large amount of orders for anti-racism books that we have received! Thank you so much for the support! But we also encourage you to purchase anti-racism books, or ANY books for that matter, from Black-owned bookstores.This ensures the money you are spending on anti-racist learning goes towards supporting Black communities.
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