Atlanta has created one thing exceptional: essentially the most sturdy Black enterprise ecosystem in the US. With over 11% of the town’s companies owned by Black entrepreneurs—the very best proportion of any main U.S. metropolis—the ATL proves what’s attainable when group funding meets alternative. And people numbers hold climbing yr after yr.
Amongst these thriving enterprises, Black-owned bookstores maintain a particular place. These cultural sanctuaries carry literature and group collectively, offering platforms for rising voices and serving to readers uncover tales that mainstream bookstores usually overlook. Whether or not you’re a longtime Atlantan or simply visiting, these literary gems supply one thing you received’t discover wherever else: books chosen by individuals who perceive the ability of illustration.
Able to discover Atlanta’s e book scene whereas supporting Black entrepreneurship? Listed here are the important Black-owned bookstores that deserve a spot in your literary map.
forty fourth & third Bookseller
Location: 451 Lee Road SW, Unit B, Atlanta, GA 30310
Born from educational ardour and household imaginative and prescient, forty fourth & Third Bookseller remodeled Cheryl Lee’s grasp’s thesis on unbiased bookstores into Atlanta’s West Finish literary gem. Since 2017, this family-owned store—based by Warren, Cheryl, and Allyce Lee—has honored each the forty fourth president and their three core pillars: life, literature, and legacy.
Greater than a bookstore, it’s the place fastidiously curated African American and diaspora literature meets vibrant group life. The Lees host common writer signings and e book golf equipment of their welcoming house, creating conversations that stretch far past the cabinets. From fiction to kids’s books, their numerous assortment displays the complete spectrum of Black experiences.
This West Finish cornerstone has change into a necessary cease for anybody searching for genuine illustration in literature—whether or not you’re discovering new voices or reconnecting with acquainted ones.
For Retains Books
Location: 171 Auburn Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Impressed by her father’s treasured assortment of Black literature, Rosa Duffy remodeled her ardour into Candy Auburn’s literary sanctuary when she opened For Retains Books in 2018. This isn’t your typical bookstore—it’s half retail house, half studying room, half cultural archive devoted to preserving Black narratives from around the globe.
The magic lies in Duffy’s curatorial imaginative and prescient. Uncovered brick partitions showcase Black artwork alongside classic magazines, whereas the distinctive “On the Desk” part options uncommon and vital works obtainable solely for in-store exploration. It’s this archival method that caught the eye of Solange Knowles’ Saint Heron, resulting in a groundbreaking partnership that resulted within the launch of a free digital library in 2021.
Working Thursday by means of Sunday, For Retains Books presents one thing more and more uncommon: an area the place uncommon, basic, and out-of-print Black literature comes alive. Whether or not you’re looking for forgotten gems or discovering new voices, this Candy Auburn treasure invitations you to decelerate and really have interaction with the wealthy tapestry of Black storytelling.
Medu Bookstore
Location: Greenbriar Mall, 2841 Greenbriar Parkway SW, Atlanta, GA 30331
Since 1989, Nia Damali has wielded “the ability of the phrase” at Medu Bookstore, Atlanta’s second-largest African American-owned bookstore, positioned contained in the Greenbriar Mall. The title says all of it—Medu believes in literature’s transformative energy to amplify Black voices and protect cultural heritage.
Damali has constructed one thing particular: a vacation spot for culturally vital and infrequently hard-to-find books that mainstream shops overlook. Her curated assortment spans historical past, fiction, kids’s literature, and self-help, all centered on the Black expertise and thoroughly chosen for readers searching for genuine illustration.
However Medu’s true magic occurs past the cabinets. The signature Friday Evening Collective Collection attracts group members for writer signings and lectures, whereas numerology courses and youngsters’s storytime classes make lifelong studying accessible to all ages. It’s this mix of literary curation and group programming that has made Medu a cultural establishment for over three a long time.
Avant-garde Books
Location: 850 Oak Road SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
When educator-author Corendis C. Hardy and her daughter, Felicia, opened Avant-garde Books within the West Finish Mall in 2017, they created one thing uncommon: one of many nation’s few Black mother-daughter-owned bookstores. Their mission runs deeper than retail—they’re on a campaign towards illiteracy, notably in socioeconomically deprived communities.
The Hardys have constructed an entire literary ecosystem. Past their numerous assortment of latest and used African American literature, they provide publishing assist companies together with ghostwriting, enhancing, and illustrations, empowering aspiring authors to carry their tales to life. It’s this full-circle method that units Avant-garde aside.
However their actual superpower lies in group constructing. Weekly toddler storytime classes, month-to-month e book festivals, and e book events remodel studying from solitary exercise into shared celebration. The Hardys perceive that combating illiteracy requires extra than simply promoting books—it calls for making a tradition the place studying turns into irresistible.
Open Tuesday by means of Saturday, this West Finish gem proves that household companies can drive actual social change, one story at a time.
Courageous + Type Bookshop
Location: 722 W School Ave, Decatur, GA 30030
When company skilled and mom of two Bunnie Hilliard couldn’t discover sufficient books the place her kids might see themselves mirrored, she did what any decided dad or mum would do—she opened her personal bookstore. Courageous + Type Bookshop, launched in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood in 2018, embodies the values Hilliard believes literature ought to instill: braveness and compassion.
Her thoughtfully curated choice goes past numerous kids’s books to incorporate fastidiously chosen grownup titles, all centered on amplifying underrepresented voices. The true magic occurs by means of group programming that transforms studying from particular person exercise into shared expertise. From writer signings that includes visitors like actress Anika Noni Rose to writing workshops and e book golf equipment, Courageous + Type has change into Decatur’s literary lounge.
Hilliard’s affect extends past her storefront by means of progressive initiatives like “College Sip + Outlets,” partnering with native faculties to spice up literacy whereas fundraising for libraries. By way of packages like “Learn in Shade,” she’s serving to distribute numerous books nationwide, proving that one bookstore can spark change far past its neighborhood.
Listening Tree Books
Location: 2308 Candler Rd, Decatur, GA 30032
Decided to provide their kids higher illustration in literature, Omar and Kimberly Finley launched Listening Tree Books in 2014. This Decatur kids’s bookstore and academic heart grew from parental willpower to introduce genuine Black voices into younger readers’ literary panorama.
The Finleys’ private contact units them aside—they assessment each single e book earlier than it reaches their cabinets, making certain titles like “Huge Hair, Don’t Care,” “The President Seems to be Like Me,” and “Counting in Kiswahili” ship constructive, empowering narratives. Their curated assortment doesn’t simply present illustration; it celebrates Black historical past, tradition, and experiences in ways in which make younger readers really feel seen and valued.
However the Finleys’ imaginative and prescient extends far past bookshelves. Their Younger Entrepreneurs Program certifies youth aged 8-18 in monetary literacy, product creation, and enterprise formation, whereas the Father or mother Entrepreneurs Program equips adults with instruments to chase their aspirations. These packages have helped a whole lot of younger individuals launch their companies, making a pipeline from literacy to financial empowerment.
Open Thursday by means of Saturday, Listening Tree has advanced into being an incubator for the subsequent technology of Black leaders. The Finleys show that when you’ll be able to’t discover the illustration you want, you create it, then educate others to do the identical, constructing lasting change one e book and one younger entrepreneur at a time.
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