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50 Black-Owned Independent Bookstores You Can Support Today

Sharrisse Viltus

Staff Writer

Sharrisse is a freelance writer based in Honolulu, Hawai’i. A geek of all trades, she is a voracious reader, video game enthusiast, and bonafide fiction writer. Her work has previously appeared on Craft Your Content and the Sartorial Geek. Visit her website at sharrisseviltus.com or follow her Twitter shenanigans at @sharrissekelly.

Independent bookstores are critical parts of any community. They serve as a community hub, a means of support for emerging authors, and a local source for education. As the Black Lives Matter protests in response to the murder of George Floyd march on, activists and allies alike are looking for ways to support Black businesses during these trying times. For book lovers, one such way is buying books from Black-owned bookstores. Here are 50 Black-owned independent bookstores you can donate, order, and shop at today. 

Ashay By the Bay (Vallejo, CA) 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B93gNxoHTbo/

Between the Lines Bookstore (Baton Rogue, LA) Facebook

Beyond Barcodes Bookstore  (Kokomo, IN) 

Black Stone Bookstore (Ypsilanti, MI)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAf9ylRA74V/

Black World Books (email at info@blackworldbooks.org

Book Boutique (Lithonia, GA) Facebook 

Cafe Con Libros (Brooklyn, NY) 

Carol’s Books (Sacramento, CA) Facebook 

Cultured Books (St. Petersburg, FL) 

Da Book Joint (Chicago, IL) Twitter

Dare Books (Longwood, FL)

Detroit Book City (Southfield, MI)

Enda’s Booktique (Duncanville, TX) 

Eso Won Books (Los Angeles, CA) 

EyeSeeMe (University City, MO)

For Keeps (Atlanta, GA) 

Frugal Bookstore (Roxbury, MA) 

Harambee Books & Artworks (Alexandria, VA)

Harriet’s Bookstore (Philadelphia, PA)

Lit.Bar (Bronx, NY) 

Loyalty Bookstore (Washington, D.C.)

Lushena Bookstore (Chicago, IL)

Mahogany Books (Washington, D.C)

Marcus Books (Oakland, CA) Facebook 

Medu Bookstore (Atlanta, GA)

MeJah Books & Crafts (Claymont, DE) 

Mocha Books (Tulsa, OK)

NuBian Books (Morrow, GA) Facebook

Olive Tree Books-n-Voices (Springfield, MA) Facebook 

Pyramid Art Books & Custom Framing (Little Rock, AR) 

Revolution Books (New York, NY)

Riches in Reading (Chesapeake, VA) Facebook

Sankofa Video Books & Cafe (Washington, D.C.) Facebook 

Semicolon Bookstore (Chicago, IL) 

Smiley’s Bookstore (Carson, CA) Facebook 

Smith & Hannon Bookstore (Cincinnati, OH) 

Source Booksellers (Detroit, MI)

The African Bookshelf (Cleveland, OH) 

The Black Reserve Bookstore (Lansdale, PA)

The Brain Lair Bookstore (South Bend, IN) 

The Dock Bookshop (Forth Worth, TX) 

The Listening Tree (Decatur, GA) 

The Multicultural Children’s Bookstore (Richmond, CA)

The Sisters Uptown Bookstore (New York, NY)

Turning Page Bookshop (Goose Creek, SC)

Uncle Bobbie’s Books & Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)

Underground Books (Sacramento, CA) Facebook 

Wild Fig Books and Coffee (Lexington, KY)

Willa’s Books (Kansas City, MO)

Zawadi Books (Buffalo, NY) Facebook