There is an estimated 149 Black-owned bookstores in the US which is just 6% of the 2,500 independently-owned bookstores in the country. One of them was opened by a Black woman in North Carolina. Less than a year later, she says she has to close her doors because of threats.
Liberation Station Bookstore, the first Black-owned children’s bookstore in North Carolina, is closing its location in Raleigh and plans to reopen in a new city after receiving threats.
Liberation’s owner Victoria Scott-Miller took to Facebook to share her account of what led to her decision to relocate. numerous threats since September.
“Some [threats] we brushed off, while others included disturbing phone calls detailing what our son Langston wore when he was at the shop alone,” Scott-Miller said. “In response, we’ve been strategizing within our means to avoid being targeted. This has involved frequently changing our operating hours, generating content after hours and taking turns between my husband and me to oversee the store. Despite the challenges, our bookstore has brought immense joy, and we’ve been determined not to become another headline of controversy. We’ve worked tirelessly to create a safe space not just for our community but for our own family as well,” she continued in the post.
Despite her recounting, the Raleigh Police Department shared they hadn’t been contacted about any threats or harassment but acknowledged there’d been social media posts related to Liberation Station.
The bookstore has been keeping its audience abreast of next steps.
“Over the next few weeks, we will remain operational until Saturday, April 13th and afterwards we will begin our move forward. Any remaining inventory will be donated to literacy non-profits throughout the Triangle. Collectively we will go back to the drawing board to reassess and redefine what we will need in our next location,” Scott-Miller said in a post, “We want to thank everyone for the calls and messages of encouragement.”