Black-owned bookstores reach record numbers, but many still struggle
· Axios
Just 54 Black-owned bookstores were identified across the U.S a decade ago. Today, a new report counts 306.
Why it matters: As public schools and libraries remove books by Black authors — from Beloved to The 1619 Project — Black-owned bookstores are increasingly serving as places where readers can access contested titles and authors' full bodies of work — and gather in community to discuss them.
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The big picture: Though the first State of the Black Bookstore report documented growth, that uptick masks economic fragility, a reality many owners say is forcing bookstores to evolve beyond traditional retail.
- "We're in a climate right now where our history is being erased and debated in schools and libraries," Jill Gibson, CEO of the National Association of Black Bookstores, said.
- "It points to a need more than ever for visibility into our voices, our stories and our history."
By the numbers: 90% of the stores report annual revenue under $250,000.
- 36% operate without a permanent brick-and-mortar location.
- 14 states have no Black-owned bookstore at all, and sales of books by Black authors declined 14% even as overall print sales slightly rose.
- Black-owned bookstores represent about 8% of independent bookstores— even though only 4% of the publishing workforce identifies as Black.
What they're saying: Atlanta's 44th and 3rd Bookseller owner Warren Lee told Axios, "We saw the shelf space for Black books shrinking — from a bookcase and a half to half a bookcase — even for major authors."
- Lee said independent bookstores play a role in preserving access to the full body of work by Black authors — a motivating factor in opening the store with his wife, Cheryl Lee.
- The store functions as a convening space — hosting authors, mentoring young writers and investing in literacy initiatives.
Lee called the industry's economics sobering.
- "Increased revenue is good. Profitability is always the challenge," Lee said, noting independent bookstores average roughly 3% net profit margins.
- "If that's considered successful," he added, "it means a lot of stores are operating at 2%, zero or even negative."
Zoom out: Black-owned bookstores — from Pittsburgh to Seattle — are leaning into curation, programming and partnerships to diversify revenue and deepen community ties.
- In Philadelphia, Harriett's Bookshop founder Jeannine Cook said, "Our community has always revered the power of establishing institutions."
- "Opening a shop to host and bring folks together in addition to nourishing a hunger for knowledge is a noble act of confronting real-world problems with practical solutions."
At Estelita's Library in Seattle, co-founder Edwin Lindo, a professor at the University of Washington, launched the nonprofit bookstore with his wife, surgeon Estell Williams, as a way to invest in their community beyond their day jobs.
- "I don't think book selling is a lucrative proposition," Lindo said. "The space is the proposition."
- Founded in 2018 as a nonprofit social-justice library and bookstore, Estelita's archives one of the largest collections of original Black Panther Party newspapers and has raised about $16 million toward a project that will include affordable housing.
- "Historically, organizing around Black liberation happened in the back rooms of bookstores," Lindo said. "They weren't just selling books — they were creating space."
The bottom line: The resurgence of Black-owned bookstores shows renewed demand for Black literature and identity-focused spaces, but many owners say survival now depends on becoming more than just retail.
- "Books are the appetizer," Lindo said. "They bring people in, but the real work is the people who gather around them."