Honey and Hue Bookstore will host a grand opening in Chicago, Ill., on Saturday, November 15, the Beverly Review reported. Located at 1804 W. 103rd St. in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood, Honey and Hue carries general-interest titles for all ages and emphasizes local authors, community building, and cultural events.
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| Raven White | |
"We are a traditional bookstore," store owner Raven White told the Beverly Review. "We have over 24 genres. We're not a specialty bookstore. We're general; we have every topic from thriller, historical fiction, horror, romance, science, anything that you can think of."
On Instagram, White wrote that her vision is to "curate spaces where people can go to feel seen, heard, and at home. I wanted to create community based off the love of books, art, music, and of course storytelling."
At opening, the store will have the work of around 50 local, independent authors in stock, and White intends to display the work of local artists in the bookstore as well. She'll host events for children, teens, and adults that incorporate books, music, and the arts, and she has already launched a nonprofit arm of the bookstore called the Honey and Hue Literacy Collective, which will work with area schools to make books accessible to students.
"When you want to reach youths, you have to meet them where they are," White said. "It's no secret that the literacy rates are extremely low. So, you have to find what children like, and for a lot of them, they like art; they like to draw; they like to create; and they love music."
Originally from Chicago, White previously lived in Katy, Tex., where she owned and operated Brown Sugar Cafe and Books. While there, White and her store experienced some instances of racist harassment, and the store was vandalized with racist graffiti before it even opened. She closed the store and moved to Chicago about two years ago.
When it came to picking a location in Chicago, White spent a year researching neighborhoods, as it was "important to me that I chose the space that chose me back.... We chose the Beverly/Morgan Park community because we felt like it chose us back."
Prior to the grand opening on Saturday, there will be a ticketed gala Friday night with proceeds going to the store's youth programming and community initiative. The public celebration on the 15th will feature a 15% off sale, book signings, a raffle, live music, and more.