Nubian Books, Clayton County’s only Black-owned bookstore, has thrived for the last 25 years by serving the community

Sandwiched between a TJ Maxx and a DTLR outlet, the one and only Black-owned bookstore in Georgia’s seventh largest county, Nubian Books , is buzzing with activity on a Friday afternoon. Author Rhonda McKnight was signing copies of her latest book, Bitter and Sweet , while customers were shopping in the store’s Greek clothing section.

Nubian Books, located in Morrow, isn’t just the only Black-owned bookstore in Clayton County, it is the only bookstore in the county. The Barnes & Noble franchise, which was located a half-mile away, closed in early May and left Clayton County residents without a major bookseller to patronize within the county limits. There was however a bookstore for many of those customers to get their books from.

“Business-wise it’s been good for me,” Marcus Williams, owner of Nubian Books said of the closure of Barnes & Noble. He said he has seen an uptick in book sales since the closure. “It kind of helped me corner the market.”

Nubian Books opened in February 1999 inside Southlake Mall and moved into its current location on Southlake Parkway in the fall of 2013. There was always a need for a Black bookstore in Clayton County in comparison to larger Fulton County where Black bookstores existed in the West End and inside Greenbriar Mall. The bookstore in the mall, Medu Bookstore , has been a staple in the community for decades and for a then young Williams it was an inspiration and a direct reflection of what he wanted to do. As a student at Morehouse College majoring in business marketing, Williams got a job at Medu Bookstore and that job changed his life, he said. He knew he wanted to open his own bookstore one day.

“I really enjoyed working at the bookstore,” said Williams, 48. “The hands-on experience at Medu gave me all the experience I needed.”

Williams dropped out of school, borrowed some money from family members and found a retail space where he could bring his dream of owning a bookstore to life. Even though 1 in 4 small businesses in the United States fail within the first year of business, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it has been 25 years since the first day Nubian Books opened its doors. Asked what has been the best part of owning his own business, Williams said it was the control.

“Being in full control of the success of your business has been the best part,” he said. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without consistency and working hard everyday.”

Nubian Books doesn’t just sell books by Black authors like McKnight and others that routinely hold book signing events in front and inside the store. Customers can get copies of Black newspapers, such as The Final Call, inside Nubain Books. Comic books and children’s books by Black illustrators and authors are also available. One of the more popular sections of the store is the Greek fraternity and sorority ailes. Greek life at Historically Black Colleges and predominantly white universities is huge in metro Atlanta and Williams says he gets customers from all over Georgia and from as far away as Alabama and South Carolina. The ease in which customers can shop for fraternity and sorority gear makes Nubian Books a desired destination for regular customers, according to Williams. Nubian Books has Greek-themed keychains, lanyards, jackets, sweaters, hats, plaques, coasters, backpacks, car tags, license plate holders, ties and jewelry on display throughout the store.

Williams shared a story of a regular customer coming to the store from Detroit every time he’s in Atlanta to visit his parents. “He stops by to buy his Kappa Alpha Psi paraphernalia,” Williams said. He believes the level of customer service to Black customers looking for books as gifts, for example, is something they won’t always get at big box stores and popular chains.

“I think a lot of the merchandise that I carry you can’t find anywhere else,” Williams explained. “A lot of the mainstream booksellers won’t carry the books that Black customers need and want.”

During the time The Atlanta Voice was in the store conducting an interview for this story, a customer came into the store asking for a copy of “The Grift, the latest book from author Clay Cane. Williams immediately checked his store database and then went searching in the back of the store. He didn’t find a copy at first before remembering there was a recent shipment of books that he needed to unpack. Minutes later he was back at the register checking out that customer and his grand-daughter, who picked up a copy of one of Williams’ 14 children’s books. He found a copy of “The Grift” for that customer.

“Just by me being Black I usually have a feel for what Black people want and need in the store,” Williams explained. “I’m in tune with my target market.”

Asked what the worst part of owning Nubian Books might be, Williams smiled, “I have no issues. I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” he said.

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