While big-box retailers and online giants make book-buying convenient, independent bookstores, especially Black-owned ones, offer something far more meaningful: a commitment to culture, diversity, and the power of storytelling.

Black-owned bookstores are more than just places to buy books. They are cultural hubs, safe spaces, and community centers that uplift marginalized voices, preserve history, and cultivate the next generation of readers and thinkers. When we support them, we’re not just buying books; we’re sustaining businesses that nurture creativity, amplify underrepresented voices, and strengthen our communities.

In an era where indie bookstores constantly fight for survival, choosing to spend our dollars at Black-owned and independent bookstores is a radical act of support. Whether shopping in person or online, making a conscious decision to support these bookstores helps ensure their longevity. Below, you’ll find a comprehensive list of Black-owned bookstores across the United States. Buy from them when you can. It matters.

Note: we tried to make this as comprehensive as possible but we probably missed some stores that fall in this category. If you’re a Black bookstore owner and you’d like to be included here, email us at books at aweluv dot com to be included.

Oh and one place you can order books from, that will support independent bookstores (many of them Black-owned, is Bookshop! I even have my book recommendations on there).

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Online Only | Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | District of Columbia | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | Washington D.C | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming 

Black-Owned Bookstores by State

Online Only

Afrostory | African American Literature Book Club | Asè Book Boutique | Ashay By The Bay | Balanced Books | Be Bomb Book Club | Black Love Boutique | Blacklit | Book Mecca| Brown Babies Books | Brownsugar Bookstore | Cafe Noir | Cindelle’s Bookstore | Crowne Books | Eclectuals | Every Day is Juneteenth | Fictitious Bookshelf | Grand Gesture Books | I Like Being Me Books | Jennitivity Bookshop | Jupiter Society Books | Keep the Light On Bookstore | Kindred Bookshop | Kizzy’s Books & More | Knowledge Lounge Books | Livres | Lovebound Pages | Loving Me Books | McKinzy Books | My Reading Room Bookstore | Naja’s Little Bookshop | Noir Books | On the Periphery Bookstore | Onyx Oasis Bookstore | Our Watts| The Book Lovers Era Mobile Bookstore | Tuma’s Books

Alabama (AL)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Alaska (AK)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Arizona (AZ)

• Grassrootz Bookstore & Juice Bar – Phoenix, AZ
• Wise Acre Comics – Goodyear, AZ

Arkansas (AR)

• Pyramid Art Books – Little Rock, AR

California (CA)

• Chukaruka – Fontana, CA
• Get Lit Books & Things – Moreno Valley, CA
• Malik Books – Los Angeles, CA
• Marcus Books – Oakland, CA
• Mija Books – Lakewood, CA
• Moments Co-op – Oakland, CA
• Multicultural Children’s Bookstore – Richmond, CA
• Octavia’s Bookshelf – Pasadena, CA
• Reparations Club – Los Angeles, CA
• Salt Eaters Bookshop – Inglewood, CA
• Underground Books – Sacramento, CA
• Zahra’s Books and Things – Inglewood, CA

Colorado (CO)

• Shop at Matter – Denver, CO

Connecticut (CT)

• Bingham’s Books & Culture – Hamden, CT
• Kindred Thoughts Books – Bridgeport, CT
• Obodo Serendipity Books – Stratford, CT
• Reader’s Block – Stratford, CT
• The Key Bookstore – Hartford, CT

Delaware (DE)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

District of Columbia (DC)

• Mahogany Books – Washington, DC
• Sankofa Video Books & Cafe – Washington, DC
• Loyalty Bookstore – Washington, DC
• Solid State Books – Washington, DC

Florida (FL)

• Black English Bookstore – Tampa, FL
• Cafe Resistance – Jacksonville, FL
• Cultured Books – St. Petersburg, FL
• Eden Books – Newberry, FL
• Erudite Encounters – Pembroke Pines, FL
• Jay’s House – Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Nefertiti Books & Gifts – Jackson, FL
• Pyramid Books – Boynton Beach, FL

Georgia (GA)

• 44th and 3rd Bookseller – Atlanta, GA
• A Small Place Bookshop – Avondale Estates, GA
• All Things Inspiration Giftique – Mableton, GA
• Brave + Kind Bookshop – Decatur, GA
• For Keeps Books – Atlanta, GA
• Good Books – Atlanta, GA
• House of Pages – Peachtree Corners, GA
• Listening Tree Books – Decatur, GA
• Medu Bookstore – Atlanta, GA
• Nubian Bookstore – Morrow, GA
• Onyx Bookstore Cafe LLC – Covington, GA
• Rejoice Christian Books – Snellville, GA
• The Book Cellar – Conyers, GA
• The Book Worm Bookstore – Powder Springs, GA
• Yes Please – Scottsdale, GA

Hawaii (HI)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Idaho (ID)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Illinois (IL)

• Afriware Books – Maywood, IL
• Bookish Chicago – Chicago, IL
• Burst into Books – Chicago, IL
• Cafe Noir Bookshop – Rock Island, IL
• Call & Response Books – Chicago, IL
• Da Book Joint – Chicago, IL
• Page 1 Books – Evanston, IL (subscriptions available)
• Semicolon Bookstore – Chicago, IL
• The Last Chapter Book Shop – Chicago, IL
• The Silver Room – Chicago, IL
• The Underground Bookstore – Chicago, IL

Indiana (IN)

• Black Worldschooled – Indianapolis, IN
• Brain Lair Books – South Bend, IN
• Ink Drinkers Anonymous – Muncie, IN
• Loudmouth Books – Indianapolis, IN

Iowa (IA)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Kansas (KS)

• Left on Read – Wichita, KS

Kentucky (KY)

• Conquest Books – Ashland, KY

Louisiana (LA)

• Baldwin & Co. Books – New Orleans, LA
• Baton Rouge Books – Baton Rouge, LA
• Community Book Center – New Orleans, LA

Maine (ME)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Maryland (MD)

• Baltimore Read Aloud – Baltimore, MD
• Everyone’s Place Store – Baltimore, MD
• Urban Reads Bookstore – Baltimore, MD

Massachusetts (MA)

• Footprints Cafe – New Bedford, MA
• Frugal Bookstore – Roxbury, MA
• Olive Tree Books-n-Voices – Springfield, MA
• Susie’s Stories bookstore – Rockport, MA

Michigan (MI)

• Black Ethos – Detroit, MI
• Black Stone Bookstore & Cultural Center – Ypsilanti, MI
• Brown Sugar & Spice Books – Romulus, MI
• Booksweet – Ann Arbor, MI
• Comma Bookstore & Social Hub – Flint, MI
• Detroit Book City – Southfield, MI
• God’s World Superstore – Detroit, MI
• Owosso Books & Beans – Owosso, MI
• Source Booksellers – Detroit, MI
• We Are Lit – Grand Rapids, MI

Minnesota (MN)

• Babycake’s Book Stack – St. Paul, MN
• Black Garnet Books – St. Paul, MN
• Planting People Growing Justice – St. Paul, MN

Mississippi (MS)

• Wow Book and Toy – Gulfport, MS
• Marshall’s Music and Book Store – Jackson, MS

Missouri (MO)

• Aya Coffee + Books – Kansas City, MO
• Black Tea Bookshop – Columbia, MO
• BLK + BRWN Bookstore – Kansas City, MO
• Bliss Books and Wine – Kansas City, MO
• EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore – University City, MO
• Little Readers – St. Louis, MO
• Redux Society – Kansas City, MO
• The Noir Bookshop – St. Louis, MO
• Willa’s Books & Vinyl – Kansas City, MO

Montana (MT)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Nebraska (NE)

• Aframerican Bookstore – Omaha, NE
• Center 518 Lost Arts & Books – Omaha, NE

Nevada (NV)

• NAACP Authors Pavilion Bookstore – Las Vegas, NV
• R.D. Talley Books – Las Vegas, NV
• The Analog Dope Store – Las Vegas, NV

New Hampshire (NH)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

New Jersey (NJ)

• Books & Stuff – Newark, NJ
• Source of Knowledge Bookstore – Newark, NJ
• The Little Boho Bookshop – Bayonne, NJ
• The Pouring Pages – Jersey City, NJ
• Watchung Booksellers – Montclair, NJ

New Mexico (NM)

• Prana Blessings – Santa Fe, NM

New York (NY)

• Archivist Books – Rochester, NY
• Bluestockings Cooperative – New York, NY
• Bronx Bound Books – Bronx, NY
• Cafe Con Libros – Brooklyn, NY
• Grandma’s Place – New York, NY
• Kulture Cafe – Harriman, NY
• Liz’s Book Bar – Brooklyn, NY
• Miranda Writes Bookstore – Bronx, NY
• Noire Reading Room – Rochester, NY
• Revolution Books – Harlem, NY
• Reid Wisely Books & Brew – Rockland County, NY
• Sadies Books & Beverages – Middletown, NY
• Sisters Uptown – New York, NY
• Taylor & Co. Books – Brooklyn, NY
• Tuma’s Books – Mount Vernon, NY (Pop-up)
• The Bronx Is Reading – Bronx, NY
• The Lit Bar – Bronx, NY
• Zawadi Books – Buffalo, NY

North Carolina (NC)

• Fulfillity Books & More – Hope Mills, NC
• Helping Kids Rise – Columbia, SC
• Liberation Station Bookstore – Durham, NC
• Loving Me Books – Charlotte, NC
• Noir Collective AVL – Asheville, NC
• Next Chapter Bookstore and Gift Shop – Greensboro, NC
• Red Rice Books – Charlotte, NC
• Refinery Books – Durham, NC
• Rofhiwa Bookcafé – Durham, NC
• Shelves Bookstore – Charlotte, NC
• Sweet Candy Books – Durham, NC
• The Roasted Booksery – Wilmington, NC

North Dakota (ND)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Ohio (OH)

• Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre – Akron, OH
• Serenity Book Shop – Columbus, OH
• The Book Butterfly – Cleveland, OH
• The Reading Room Cle – Garfield Heights, OH
• Thirdspace Reading Room – Cleveland, OH

Oklahoma (OK)

• Fulton Street Books & Coffee – Tulsa, OK
• Mocha Books – Tulsa, OK

Oregon (OR)

• Third Eye Books – Portland, OR

Pennsylvania (PA)

• Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse – Philadelphia, PA
• Hakim’s Bookstore & Gift Shop – Philadelphia, PA
• Harriett’s Books – Philadelphia, PA
• Heart & Soul Books – Harrisburg, PA
• Multiverse – Philadelphia, PA
• Read Rose Books – Lancaster, PA
• The Black Reserve Bookstore – Lansdale, PA
• The Print Factory – Bellefonte, PA
• The Tiny Bookstore – Pittsburgh, PA
• Uncle Bobbie’s Books – Philadelphia, PA

Rhode Island (RI)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

South Carolina (SC)

• Beyond This February – Spartanburg, SC
• Itinerant Literate Books – North Charleston, SC
• Turning Page Bookshop – Goose Creek, SC

South Dakota (SD)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Tennessee (TN)

• Alkebu-Lan Images – Nashville, TN
• Bard’s Towne Books & Bourbon – Nashville, TN
• Bo Society & Books – Clarksville, TN
• The Bottom Knox – Knoxville, TN

Texas (TX)

• Black Pearl Books – Austin, TX
• Books and Brown Sugar Co – Dallas, TX
• Candescent Books – Houston, TX
• Class Bookstore – Houston, TX
• Enda’s Booktique – Duncanville, TX
• Kindred Stories – Houston, TX
• Lit Java – Pearland, TX
• Pan-African Connection – Dallas, TX
• Soa Co. Books – Houston, TX
• Socialite Bookshop – Houston, TX
• The Book Readers Venue, LLC – Humble, Texas
• The Dock Bookshop – Fort Worth, TX

Utah (UT)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Vermont (VT)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores there)

Virginia (VA)

• Nati’s House – Virginia Beach, VA
• Paperbacks Ink – Newport News, VA
• Resist Booksellers – Petersburg, VA

Washington (WA)

• Estelita’s Library – Seattle, WA
• Loving Room: Diaspora Books + Salon – Seattle, WA

West Virginia (WV)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores)

Wisconsin (WI)

• Niche Book Bar – Milwaukee, WI
• Rooted MKE – Milwaukee, WI

Wyoming (WY)

(Couldn’t find Black-owned bookstores)

Sooo yeah, I hope you patronize these stores, I hope authors partner with them and give them love!

What is your favorite Black-owned bookstores? Comment here and let us know. We will be updating this post as we learn of more.