The Rise of BIPOC Bookstores

A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor highlights the growing number of independent bookstores in the country that represent diverse communities and backgrounds:

"According to CEO Allison Hill, the association now has 2,010 members, at 2,547 locations, an increase of more than 300 since Spring 2021. It’s the highest ABA total in years, even though the association in 2020 tightened its rules and permitted only stores which “primarily sell books” ... a substantial number of additions, well over 100, are stores that have opened over the past year, dozens of them owned by people from a wider variety of racial and ethnic groups."

A commonality among the new store owners is a desire to contribute and be representative of their entire communities. Sonyah Spencer opened The Urban Reader in Charlotte, North Carolina "in part because of the Black Lives Matters movement and a concern about a rise in book bans." Erica Atkins opened Birdsong Books in Locust Grove, Georgia because in her words "I have dedicated my life to knowledge sharing,"

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