Black Garnet Books

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Black Garnet Books
Logo of Black Garnet Books
Formation2020; 2 years ago (2020)
FounderDionne Sims
TypeBookstore
Location
Websitehttps://www.blackgarnetbooks.com/

Black Garnet Books is a bookstore in Minnesota. The only Black-owned, brick and mortar bookstore in the state, it operated as a pop-up for a year before receiving a grant from the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, to open a physical location.

Establishment[]

Dionne Sims Twitter
@OhDionne

Minnesota doesn't have a black-owned bookstore. I think that's my new dream.

June 15, 2020[1]

In June 2020, University of Minnesota graduate Dionne Sims discovered that there were no Black-owned bookstores in the state of Minnesota while researching ways to support the Black community after the murder of George Floyd.[2] (, a Black-owned bookstore in Minnesota, closed in 2015.[2] Other Black-owned book businesses, such as and , do not have brick and mortar bookstore locations.[3]) After Sims posted a tweet expressing her desire to start a Black-owned bookstore in the state, the tweet received more than 14,000 likes,[4] and she began a crowdfunding campaign for the bookstore on July 10. By July 12, the campaign had raised more than $81,000.[2] Overall, she raised more than $108,000 in the campaign using GoFundMe.[4]

In 2021, Black Garnet Books operated as a pop-up.[5] Sims told the Star Tribune that funds raised from the crowdfunding campaign helped to cover the startup costs and pay for inventory but that they did not cover construction of a physical bookstore space. Also in 2021, Saint Paul City Councilor provided Sims with information about a , and she received a $100,000 grant from the city of Saint Paul to renovate and open a location at in .[5][6] As of December 2021, the 1,800 square feet (170 m2) space is planned to open in summer 2022.[5]

Purpose[]

Black Garnet Books was planned to focus on Black authors and other diverse authors, and to stock books for adults and young adults to avoid competition with Babycake's Book Stack, a bookmobile in Saint Paul, Minnesota, focused on diverse children's literature.[2] Sims told in 2020 that she wanted the bookstore to be "a place people can go for self-empowerment" through "education, connection, [and] the pursuit of knowledge".[4]

Activity[]

In November 2021, Black Garnet Books began a on Bookshop.org to donate copies of The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story to schools in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. As of December 14, 2021, the drive had drawn more than 700 donations.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Dionne Sims [@OhDionne] (June 15, 2020). "Minnesota doesn't have a black-owned bookstore. I think that's my new dream" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b c d Jackson, Zoë (July 20, 2020). "St. Paul woman looks to launch the only Black-owned bookstore in Minnesota". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2020-07-12. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Reilly, Mark (December 15, 2021). "Black Garnet Books will open space on University Avenue in St. Paul". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Bloomquist, Madison (November 9, 2020). "Why Dionne Sims Started Black Garnet Books, Minnesota's Only Black-Owned Bookstore". . Retrieved December 30, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c d Raemont, Nina (December 14, 2021). "Black Garnet Books Finds a Home in St. Paul". . Retrieved December 30, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Jackson, Zoë (December 27, 2021). "Black Garnet Books to open in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood in 2022". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2022.

External links[]

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