The Best Black-Owned Bookstores Across America

Across America, Black-owned bookstores serve as resources for books of all kinds, including titles by Black authors. Many of these bookstores are also unofficial community centers for book clubs and author book signings and for introducing the joys of reading to children. Read on to see some of our favorite Black-owned bookstores across the country.

Situated in D.C.’s busy H Street Corridor, Solid State Books offers a wide range of fiction and nonfiction titles.The convenient downtown bookstore also has an onsite cafe that serves snacks and drinks. Solid State Books organizes weekly story time for kids and also hosts visiting authors and artists. Since 2017, the bright and spacious bookstore has served as an “intellectual and social hub” for D.C. and its neighboring residents. Shop online.

Semicolon Bookstore was founded with the mission to serve the community and change the narrative of Black bookselling and buying. In one of their community initiatives, called #cleartheshelves, they invite local Chicago public school students to take home any books they want, free of charge. Shop online.

A Black woman-owned store, Semicolon Books also serves as a gallery space, and the walls are decorated with bright murals by local artists.