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| Owner Jay DeMoir and staff. | |
DeMoir Books & Things, Memphis, Tenn., opened last month at 739 White Station Road in the Cloverleaf Shopping Center. The Business Journal reported that while the "store may be Memphis' first Black-owned bookstore, beyond the COGIC Bookstore," owner Jeremee DeMoir said "his store is not necessarily a Black bookstore."
"We are all inclusive," he noted. "I believe that a bookstore should look like America. America looks like all of us, and so our books have to reflect that on so many different spectrums."
An admitted "book nerd," DeMoir is an author, who also teaches English and creative writing at White Station Middle School. His students were a catalyst for opening the store. "I have always loved reading. Books are my safe place," he said. "A few years ago, I really had this urge to open a bookstore. So many of my students don't have access to a local bookstore."
DeMoir "takes special care to stock books that reflect his students interests--those that address trans issues and LGBTQ topics. He carries books on the immigrant experience," the Business Journal wrote. The 1,200-square-foot bookstore features both new and used titles.
One of his favorite things about owning a bookstore is meeting customers and learning what they like to read, as well as having the opportunity to do more reading himself: "I've always wanted to be able to work and read at the same time. I just love being surrounded by books. I've found it's my happy place."