Blacklit, a Black-owned independent bookstore in Dallas, Tex., that began as a book subscription service, has raised more than $30,000 to remain in its bricks-and-mortar home, Yahoo! News reported.
On January 22, store owner Nia-Tayler Clark posted an update on Instagram explaining that the store's locks had been changed and she'd been given 10 days to raise $27,000 or be evicted. Though Clark had leased the storefront four months ago, she had not yet opened the bookstore to the public, and it looked like the bricks-and-mortar store would end before it truly started.
"After securing the building for the Blacklit Bookstore but not being able to open to the public for four months, we have fallen behind on bills and have been fighting to keep our head above water for the past few months," Clark wrote. "Our landlord has presented us with a notice to vacate and as of just a few hours ago... has changed the locks. Meaning, we just lost everything.”
Clark started a crowdfunding campaign through the website I Fund Women, and after spreading the news on social media was able to raise $20,000 in just a few days. With two days still to go on the campaign, the total now stands at more than $32,000. Clark has picked up the new keys to the store and Blacklit is officially back in business.
"To everyone who has played a part in Blacklit's journey this far, thank you," Clark wrote in an update after raising $20,000. "Thank you a million times over. As my team and I prepare to start getting out the orders and getting ready for the fundraising event tomorrow, we just want to let you know that it is our joy to be able to serve you again. I'm so excited that we get to do this!"
A former English teacher, Clark launched Blacklit in 2019 after learning that one of her students didn't read. She recalled on Blacklit's website: "The turning point for me was when I literally had a student tell me 'I don't read Ms. I'm Black.' It broke my heart; but, it also opened my eyes. It watered the seed. I was now officially on a mission to close the literacy gap and increase representation."
Located in the Dallas suburb of Farmer's Branch, the bricks-and-mortar store features an Ethiopian coffee shop and also doubles as an event space. The store's goal is to "curate an in-person experience where Black literature, Black excellence and Black culture can be taught, explored and celebrated."