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| Pamela and Jeffrey Blair show off their award on Tiktok. | |
The 2023 Midwest Bookseller of the Year honorees are Pamela and Jeffrey Blair, co-owners of EyeSeeMe African American Children's Bookstore, St. Louis, Mo. The award, sponsored by the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, honored the Blairs "for the extraordinary impact EyeSeeMe has made on their community and the independent bookselling industry."
In a long citation that includes EyeSeeMe's history and tributes to the Blairs, MIBA wrote, in part, that the store "carries an impressive array of books, but perhaps its most powerful story is the one between its own four walls. Co-owners and married business partners Pamela and Jeffrey Blair have created an extraordinary place that gives Black and brown children the powerful experience of seeing themselves in the pages of a book--and not just a select few books, but every book in the store....
"In addition to their literary gifts, the Blairs have also uplifted their community by sharing their infectious positive energy and warmth. Often joined in bookselling by their daughters Sarah and Naomi, they've created a business that celebrates family. While Jeffrey is often the spokesperson, Pamela is the backbone of the store, reviewing hundreds of publishers' catalogs every season to select titles that include compelling, positive Black representation. While she doesn't prefer the spotlight, her title discovery skills have helped booksellers across our region source books that create a more inclusive shopping experience."
MIBA executive director Carrie Obry said, "Pamela and Jeffrey have been at the forefront of positive change not only for readers, but also for booksellers, giving us a powerful model of Black-centered bookselling and inspiring others from historically underrepresented communities to join them on the path to bookstore ownership."
The Blairs will be honored in a celebration on June 19. MIBA noted that Juneteenth "is a fitting date representing Black liberation and it's also the eighth anniversary of the opening of EyeSeeMe."