All results
Educator Yaa Yaa Catherine Whaley-Williams has built an education hub in her community. Whaley-Williams, the director of student equity in the Monticello Central School District in Monticello, NY, is the founder of Sadie’s Books and Beverages. The business opened in 2022 and made history in the process. News-12 reports it is the first Black-owned bookstore in Orange County, NY. Sadie’s Books and Beverages offers a diverse selection of books, which includes hundreds of Black authors across 23 genres, according to the Times Herald-Record reports. Accessibility is also important to Whaley-Williams, so she launched a program that slashes the prices of new books for children to $3 and $7. “When I was a kid getting a free or discounted book, it was usually dog-eared or had writing in it, or some pages missing,” she explained to the outlet. “But getting a discounted book shouldn’t mean that it’s anything less than brand new.” Locals can also expect special activations from the local shop...
Business self-help books are essential to those who are looking to succeed in their chosen career paths. Learning from others who have already paved the way might open up new trains of thought and ways of thinking that could shake the foundation of how you run your business. Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power is a must-read for entrepreneurs looking to master strategy, influence, and leadership. If you found it insightful, here are other books—including works by Black authors—that explore power, persuasion, and success in business. The Art Of War By Sun Tzu Goodreads Rating: 4.0/5 It might seem an odd recommendation for books like The 48 Laws of Power, especially for business purposes, but The Art of War offers surprising insights that can be useful in business and entrepreneurship. A classic on strategy and competition, The Art of War offers lessons on preparation, adaptability, and psychological advantage. Entrepreneurs can apply its teachings to negotiations, business...
A Morehouse School of Medicine graduate has opened a bookstore to uplift her surrounding community. According to a news release, Dr. Viola Lanier, who boasts a Master of Science in biomedical research and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences, has launched Better Today Books & Boutique, located at 2300 Shallowford Rd., Ste. 8, Marietta, GA 30066. In a video shared on the bookstore’s Instagram page, Lanier recounts her journey to owning the storefront. It began after a spa visit, when she noticed a “For Lease” sign on the door of the location while heading home. Intrigued, she reached out to the landlord to arrange a tour. “Wasn’t too impressed about the condition, but I said, ‘You know what? This is a place.’ But I figured I could make it work, even though I was skeptical about a lot. I got it. Anyway, so we’re putting a check mark on these dreams. Y’all stick with me as you renovate,” she explained in the video. Seeing the potential, Lanier’s interest put her on the path to establishing...
Queen Latifah is helping a Black woman-owned soul food restaurant receive a well-deserved blessing. During a taping of “Street You Grew Up On,” hosted by actress Kerry Washington, it was revealed that Latifah selected Newark, NJ-based Vonda’s Kitchen to receive a $10,000 financial award. The investment is made possible through a partnership between fintech platform Intuit QuickBooks and Washington, aimed at fostering discussions around entrepreneurship, community, and mentorship. As part of the initiative, featured guests are given the opportunity to select a small business to receive funding, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. As a Newark native, the selection was full circle and Latifah emphasized its importance, believing the funds would be well-used under the leadership of owner Vonda McPherson. According to the company website, McPherson transitioned into entrepreneurship after a corporate career with Fortune 500 companies, opening her first restaurant in 1988....
Jeannine A. Cook has found a permanent home for a bookstore backed by the Philadelphia, PA, community. Cook owns Harriett’s Bookshop, named in honor of abolitionist and emancipator Harriet Tubman, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Cook initially envisioned pursuing a consulting business but later pivoted to selling books and ultimately opened the storefront in 2020. She decided to try to buy the bookshop in 2022 and raised $75,000 in one weekend through a GoFundMe campaign, which later rose to $200,000 to support a down payment, the outlet notes. Cook was hoping to secure ownership of the building after witnessing nearby business owners closing their doors due to the cost of rent. However, the building’s owner, Sang Casenta, did not have an interest in making the sale at the time. “I couldn’t get this idea that I felt like a sharecropper out of my head,” Cook told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I had a vision for something different, but I had no idea about how I was going to pull...
Few Black-owned bookstores exist in Chicago, IL, yet Danielle Moore now owns two. ABC7 reported that Moore is the founder of the Semicolon Bookstore. Her vision for the store was to create a space that reflected her likes and interests: books and the arts. “Semicolon’s creation was a complete accident,” she told The Newsette. “I wanted a space where I would want to hang out all day, and my favorite things are books and art, so it just made sense. I wanted the space to feel like home, and I believe that it does.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery (@semicolonchi) Per the company’s website, Semicolon Bookstore’s mission is to increase literacy rates in the city by creating access to and generating interest in books. “We were created with one thing in mind — community . We are committed to having a direct impact in raising literacy rates in Chicago and beyond,” the website mentioned. Semicolon Bookstore hosts monthly events for Chicago Public...
Marcus Williams is behind the only Black-owned bookstore in Clayton County, GA, per a report. According to The Atlanta Voice, Williams is the founder of Nubian Books, which had previously been located near a Barnes & Noble until the franchise closed its doors in May 2024. As a result, more locals made their way to Nubian Books. “Business-wise it’s been good for me,” Williams told the outlet. “It kind of helped me corner the market.” What’s more, the increase in foot traffic has also led to more sales. “I’ve had a lot of customers who are trying to find that Barnes and Noble on Mount Zion Road, so they’ve been coming to me and ordering books from me. So I’ve seen a spike in sales,” he mentioned to Atlanta News First. Nubian Books has been a fixture in the community for at least 25 years, opening first inside Southlake Mall in Morrow, GA, and later relocating to Southlake Parkway in 2013. For Williams, owning a bookstore became a dream of his after securing a job at Medu Bookstore,...
A beloved bookstore is banking on the support of its community to remain open. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Nikki High, who had dedicated more than a decade to managing communications at Trader Joe’s, made history for opening the first Black-owned bookstore in Pasadena, CA, in 2023. High received over $22,000 in donations through GoFundMe to launch the store honoring author Octavia Butler after she shared her intentions for the business on X, formerly Twitter. The post went viral with nearly 5.1 million views and 10,000 retweets at the time, according to The Guardian. “I wanted [my bookstore] to be completely independent so that I would not have to compromise my values,” High said, per the outlet. Now, the beloved bookstore is in need of funding to stay in business. High reveals on Instagram that she has reopened the GoFundMe for the bookstore and cites lower resources as well as the complexities of the book selling industry as the reasoning. “We need a lifeline,” she wrote on...
Knowledge is power, but being able to access it can be an uphill battle for disadvantaged communities. PBS NewsHour reports on Instagram that St. Louis, MO, is a “book desert,” and the likelihood of retaining a significant number of books in a community is low. However, a determined Black woman business owner has stepped in to enact the change she wants to see. According to the outlet, Ymani Wince launched Onyx, a free book vending machine, at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, located on the north side of St. Louis. Wince also owns The Noir Bookshop, which provides Black and people of color (POC) literature. View this post on Instagram A post shared by PBS NewsHour (@newshour) “I started thinking about what were ways that I could get books in the community, and I instantly thought of vending machines,” Wince told PBS NewsHour. “The concept of reading is good, having literacy is good, and I think access to information is a human right, no matter what you look like.” This...
Vic Mensa has come to the rescue of a Black-woman-owned business in his hometown of Chicago, IL. On March 13, 2024, the rapper made a stop by Da Book Joint. Self-described as “Your African American book source,” the bookstore has been in operation since 2007,” according to its website. “We are particularly interested in books targeted at the youth,” the website wrote. “We are looking to play our part in the development of the youth of the country, and we do so by providing a healthy selection of books and titles for them to select from.” To help keep Da Book Joint’s doors open, Vic Mensa presented the bookstore with a check for $7,200. “We are thankful,” Da Book Joint shared in an Instagram post. “We are honored. We are grateful. We are truly living a dream right now. Thank you so much to @vicmensa and his entire @93boyz team for blessing us today by covering our rent for an entire year.” It continued, “Thank you for seeing our mission and helping us stand in our purpose. You are...
Starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur is an option for anyone regardless of their education level, socioeconomic status and more. It may be hard for some to believe, but there is legitimacy to becoming successful with just a dollar and a dream . There are many testimonials out there of people who have gone from rags to riches, sharing stories on how they turned their ideas into a real business with hard work and determination. The best business books are the ones that not only share a success story, but also teach the reader how they can write a success story of their own. Many of the books below are also written by Black authors who specifically highlight the past and present struggles of Black Americans leading successful businesses. Discover which of these books is the most inspiring or resonates the most or combine the knowledge from them all to put to good use in the industry. Here are 10 of the best business books that tell these stories and help inspire anyone to...
Bookstore owner Jeannine Cook will be able to remain in business after receiving support from her community. Cook is the owner of Ida’s Bookshop, located in Collingswood, NJ. The shop opened in 2021 to amplify women authors, artists, and activists, and it is the sister shop of her first bookstore located in Philadelphia, PA, according to Black In Jersey. On Jan. 3, Cook shared with the New Jersey community that Ida’s was on the brink of closure due to the landlord increasing the price of rent. This would mean the store won’t be able to cater to local customers in-store for Black History Month since its lease is set to expire during February. “Just so folks aren’t alarmed if we potentially have to move/close, our landlord is going up on rent into a rate that we cannot afford-all we sell are books- and if you can imagine the margins ain’t great. Our lease ironically ends in February (Blk History Month) which could mean sadly one of a handful of Blk owned businesses would be closing...
