Karibu Books, the African-American bookstore chain with most of its stores in Prince George's County, Maryland, next to Washington, D.C., is closing. Its Pentagon City store in Arlington, Va., which opened in April 2006, has already closed. The Security Square store in Baltimore, Md., which opened in November 2005, and Forestville, Md., store are closing this coming Sunday. The Karibu stores at the Mall at Prince George's in Hyattsville, the Iverson Mall in Hillcrest Heights and the Bowie Town Center in Bowie are closing on February 10.
Karibu, meaning "welcome" in Swahili and owned by Simba Sana, Yao Hoke Glover III and Karla Wilkerson-Glover, started in 1993 on the streets of Washington and the Howard University and Bowie University campuses.
The bookseller used the motto "books by and about African people" and said its philosophy was "to empower and educate people by providing complete access to books by and about people of African descent." It said too, that African Americans are reading "at a larger rate than ever. Karibu believes if there is 'access,' people will buy."
In a conversation with Shelf Awareness two years ago, CEO Simba Sana said that Karibu was challenged by the task of going from a business with just "two of us doing everything" to one with more than 40 employees and six outlets. "We're at a critical stage of trying to mature and become a full-fledged company," he said. Karibu had just hired its first district manager, was "tightening up" management, trying to train employees better and improving technology and systems. Had its business solidified, it planned to open more stores as far away as Philadelphia, Pa., and Richmond, Va.
Karibu's mission, Sana continued, was "to create a black-owned and -operated cultural institution. Our focus is black culture, which is an unlimited resource that we as a people have failed to tap or exploit in a good way, and our culture has been a big contribution to this country. A lot of the problem stems from us having been slaves in this country. We don't reap the financial rewards from the culture we produce. We black retailers are trying to gain some control over our culture by influencing what people buy, and by being owned by black people from back room to front.
"Despite all the progress we supposedly have made, there is still so much backwardness in our community. So many things are not black owned. Even the hip hop guys' money pales in comparison to what the record companies and liquor companies make. Again black people have not perfected the art of creating systems to take advantage of the things they produce. Without culture, nothing else falls in place, whether it's economic or political."
He added that "sometimes black people need a place of their own, where white people can't go, places where we can just say things. Even if it doesn't change or influence things, to be able to say them is so important."
Sadly Karibu will no longer be able to offer that place.--John Mutter