There are over 50 independent bookstores open in the state of Minnesota, but not one of them is Black-owned. It was this void in the market that helped push Dionne Sims to declare in a viral tweet that it was her new dream to own one.
"I applied for librarian and bookstore jobs all through college, hoping to get an in that would at least let me be CLOSE to books," she tweeted. "I want to do this."
After her initial tweet on June 15, she received a continuous outpouring of support, advice, and donations. In just the past few weeks, she launched the website for her new store Black Garnet Books. It will carry YA and adult novels written exclusively by authors of color, but will prioritize Black voices.
The name ‘Black Garnet’ was chosen for what the stone represents. It’s known for strength, safety, and self-empowerment—things that Sims found within books, and what she hopes she can pass along to others though her bookstore.
Sims also launched a GoFundMe to raise money to get Black Garnet Books off the ground and established. Within 48 hours, she reached her initial goal. And within a week, she raised over $100,000. The money will go towards costs associated with starting a business, inventory and merchandising, allowing Sims to work at the store full-time, and to find a permanent location for the store. When Black Garnet Books officially launches, it will start as an online store.
After reaching her original fundraising goal, Sims created a new goal of $108,000. The additional funds will go towards hiring help for business needs, creating author events, and strengthening her business.
There have been Black-owned bookstores in Minnesota in the past, like Uhuru Books and Ancestry Books, but most of them have shuttered. Babycake’s Book Stack, a mobile bookstore that carries children’s books, is the only one still open and operational. Sims is working carefully to make sure that Black Garnet Books will be a permanent fixture in the Twin Cities community.
“If you'd told me two years ago I'd happily leave a six-figure job to open a bookstore I would have laughed in your face,” Sims tweeted. “But as I get older, every day makes it clear that fulfillment is happiness for me. Building community and connecting with people is happiness for me.”
