Mother and Son to open first ever Black-owned children’s Bookstore in North Carolina

Meet Victoria Scott-Miller and Langston, her 11-year-old son, who run Raleigh, North Carolina’s first Black-owned children’s bookstore, Liberation Station Bookstore.

With the help of her husband Duane and her other son, Emerson, the family aims to provide books that feature main characters who are Black to fight against the lack of diversity in literature

When their then 8-year-old son Langston Miller discussed his desire to become a writer in 2019, that is when the concept for Liberation Station was first conceived.

They visited their neighborhood bookstore in search of novels featuring young Black boys that were comparable to those Langston wished to write, but they were unable to locate many of them.

Inspired to bridge the gap in literature diversity, they launched Liberation Station which offers books that are written for, by, and about Black people.

They invested their little savings into their mission and started selling the books in pop-up markets in different locations such as art galleries, hotel lobbies, and old churches, among others.

“We were filling a need for our children and it just so happened to fill a need for the community,” Victoria told Spectrum Local News.

Since then, the business has been thriving, earning over $15,000 in its first year.

And even during the pandemic, they did not stop aiming for their purpose as they transitioned to an online marketplace where they still offered hundreds of books at that time.

READ ALSO: Single mother becomes first black woman to own a spring water bottling business in New York

Meet the black entrepreneur who launched first African Pride Sneaker, celebrates 5 years in business

Most recently, the family is set to open their own bookstore at 208 Fayetteville St. in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.

They will continue selling children’s books that have positive representations of Black children, including those that are banned or removed from schools.

“This will be like a candy store for them,” Victoria said. “They get to choose and these narratives are not going to be based on trauma.

They will be based on hope and healing and excitement and imagination and innovation.”

For more information about the Liberation Station Bookstore visit website –LiberationStationBookstore.com or follow them on Instagram – @LiberationStationBookstore