Black-Owned Bookshop Finds Permanent Home Thanks To Philadelphia Community

The founder now owns her building that will continue to provide a communal space for Philadelphia.

Harriett’s Bookshop, a Black-owned business named after Harriet Tubman, has found its permanent home in Philadelphia.

The store’s founder, Jeanine A. Cook, spoke of the journey to becoming a business owner and one who owns her property. Cook opened the shop in 2020 and began trying to purchase the building it’s housed in two years later.

However, it was not until Aug. 6 that Cook became the owner of 258 E. Girard Ave. The four-story building in the Fishtown District was a communal investment, with Cook raising money for the down payment through GoFundMe.

“I’m still in shock,” Cook told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m so excited that people are excited. I hope it ignites a faith for people to go forward with their dreams. It’s really about putting one foot in front of the other.”

Her decision to invest in the property came from a feeling of “sharecropping” due to renting the storefront. She felt the necessity of ownership after seeing fellow Black-owned businesses shut down due to rising rental costs.

“I couldn’t get this idea that I felt like a sharecropper out of my head,” explained Cook. “I had a vision for something different, but I had no idea about how I was going to pull that off.”

Originally, the rental was for Cook to open her consulting firm. However, a shift in her passions led to Harriett’s Bookshop, which has emerged beyond a bookstore and into a community meeting space.

From Cook riding on horseback to deliver books during the pandemic to donating books to protestors in Minneapolis and Louisville during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, Cook proved that she and Harriett’s Bookshop were staples of the community.

Moreover, Cook launched the Sisterhood Sit-In Trolley Tour in the city to promote Black women-owned businesses that suffered from racist threats. She also owns two other bookshops, including Ida’s in Collingswood, New Jersey, named after Ida B. Wells. The other, Josephine’s in Paris, pays tribute to the legacy of Josephine Baker.

However, her growing presence within Philadelphia led others to pitch in to buy the entire building. She raised $200,000 to secure a down payment and later secured the trust of its previous owner to sell the property to her.

“Up until now, Harriett’s has been a gallery space,” expressed Cook, who also began renovations to include a cafe area. “In this next iteration, she will feel more like a home.”

Now a communal hub and permanent fixture of the community, Harriett’s Bookshop will continue to provide a safe space for all advocating for education, literature, and equality.