Spotlight on Black Garnet Books
Dionne Sims, owner and operator of Black Garnet Books at 1319 University Avenue W. in St. Paul, sits working in the middle of her new brick and mortar bookshop located just a few minutes from her home. This location aims to be accessible and is surely in the mix as an agent of recovery and livability on the University Avenue corridor. The door accommodates a consistent flow of customers, while employees tend the shop shelving new books, dear shop dog Nova and the bright, welcoming space directly on the light rail line across from Target.
Begun in 2020 as a response to the lack of visibility and exposure for black and brown writers, Black Garnet will be putting money and resources directly into those hands. After graduating from college in 2018 and going to work in the tech industry, shifting her focus to Black Garnet felt like a meaningful and purposeful endeavor in a place where Dionne has roots and connection. A Go-Fund Me yielded a swift and powerful response. Minnesota had said yes to its first black-owned bookstore. After fronting multiple pop-ups and years of hard work, the dream is now in place. Some of the properties of the rare and beautiful black garnet that inspired the name are self-empowerment and creativity. Those are evident in every aspect of this venture.
Yes, we’ll see in-store readings and conversations in the future. For now, frequent Black Garnet for an ample selection of hand-picked books and products by authors and illustrators of color in a broad range of genres from board books to history, graphic novels to poetry.