By Dr. Nosakhere Griffin-EL ·Updated March 7, 2026 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

Imagine waiting for months to attend your first booksellers conference with people who run bookstores across the country, all convening to discuss how to operate an amazing bookstore. Yes, it was an amazing experience, but imagine on the day you are ready and expecting to acquire knowledge from these sessions to advance your store, but the most impactful conversation occurs not in a session, but in a hallway.

At the end of the third day of American Booksellers Association (ABA) Winter Institute, I walked down a long hallway to head home and saw Black Bookstore owner of Source Booksellers Mrs. Janet Webster Jones, whom I affectionately called Mama Janet throughout the conference. She is a warm and nurturing mama figure. She and I sat on a bench and talked for nearly an hour.  Throughout the conversation, I found myself listening intently as if I was an elementary school-age student waiting to get the next powerful knowledge anecdote to implement in my life and business. When the conversation ended, I headed home, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how she inspired me to articulate the purposes of Black Bookstore. 

Last week, the National Association of Black Bookstores, which was founded by Kevin Johnson released the State of Bookstores Report. There are 306 Black bookstores in 14 states across the United States, and 36% operate without a brick-and-mortar location. Of all Indie Bookstores, only 8% are Black-owned. The number may be small, but we are impact is mighty.

Our philosophical foundation is rooted in helping peopletarget=”_blank” href=”https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/rB5WCkRVM4Sqlo5AUJtDSGipOI?domain=theyoungdreamersbookstore.com”>Malcolm Little book” and with a smile he said, “Yes.” Then he proceeded to tell me about how his son loved the other book Lava in My Veins too. These moments of connection turn customers into a community, all built on the foundation of trust.

Beyond trust, the Black Bookstore is also a curator of culturally relevant stories by and about Black people. As a child, my mother took me to Black Bookstores all throughout Philadelphia like Know Self Bookstore, Hakim’s Bookstore, and Basic Black Books. There, I could choose books that featured characters who looked like me—experiences that inspired me to become who I am today. I remember buying a comic titled Brotherman, which was the first timeI remember with a Black male protagonist, who was a superhero. And that made me think I, too, could be a superhero. Now, I strive to create the same opportunities for young readers, stocking our store with books that help them dream big.

Some may wonder: If Black Bookstores focus on books with Black characters or about Black people, how do they serve everyone? The answer is clear. As bookstore owner Yvonne Blake from Hakim’s Bookstore put it, “… we educate and teach people about the history that is so often hidden or not told to—not just African Americans—but to everyone.” Moreover, it’s vital for children of all backgrounds to read books by Black authors to counter negative stereotypes often seen in TV, social media, and movies. Through stories that showcase Black characters in their fullness, young readers can begin to see Black people in all their humanity—making the possibility of true equality more real and attainable.

In the end, Black Bookstores are led by people who see their work as a calling. This  work is about serving Black people and humanity as a whole. During the recent American Booksellers Conference in Pittsburgh,  I met Black Bookstore owner of Source Booksellers Mrs. Janet Webster Jones, owner of Source Booksellers, a Black bookstore.  And she reminded me that we don’t own bookstores for profit—we do it to serve. Whether we sell out or sell some books, our commitment to making the world a better, more beautiful place stays the same.  

Dr. Nosakhere Griffin-EL is the co-founder of The Young Dreamers’ Bookstore. He also is a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project in partnership with the National Black Child Development Institute.

The post OP-ED: Running A Black Bookstore Isn’t Easy. But The Mission Is Bigger Than The Business appeared first on Essence.

Author: Kimberly Wilson

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