Niche Book Bar: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Meet Cetonia Weston-Roy, the literature lover behind Niche Book Bar—an online bookstore boasting a variety of stories from Black authors about Black people. Growing up, Weston-Roy felt a deep love for the books she read. Coming-of-age novels by Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary were some of her favorites as they provided a glimpse into reality; a way for Weston-Roy to read about the stories she was living as a young girl.
However, something was missing. This type of literature didn’t represent her individual experience as a Black woman. She found that books featuring Black characters often feature stories of pain and trauma. “I really resonated with Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry, but there’s something very empty when all the people who
reflect you are kind of stuck in situations not particularly their own making,” Weston-Roy says.
While reading can be a joyous experience for many growing up, it’s important to understand why some people fall out of it. For Weston-Roy, she got tired of reading stories about Black characters that didn’t fully represent her. What’s more, she didn’t like feeling forced into the activity, either. So, her relationship with reading hit pause. It wasn’t until several years into her adult life that Weston-Roy fell back into reading. She’s always loved the venture, but it took a few key moments to understand how she can have a better relationship with reading.
Enter Niche Book Bar. One night as Weston-Roy sat with a book and a glass of wine, an idea sparked. “I wanted to combine that feeling of enjoying a book with wine and that mission of a full spectrum approach to Black literature,” Weston-Roy says. As final plans for Niche Book Bar developed, Weston-Roy organized the Black Authors Pop-Up. She traveled the Milwaukee area with local Black authors, popping up at a variety of locations like Black-owned restaurants and stores to sell books and build community through it all. But when COVID-19 hit, Weston-Roy knew she needed a step in between the Black Authors Pop-Up—now part of the Black Authors Collective—and opening Niche Book Bar as an online shop and soon-to-be brick-and-mortar establishment.
“I ended up going to a local guy, sketching a drawing of a book bike, and letting him create the idea I had for a book bike. I rode around and sold new and used books by Black authors and some just with Black main characters around the city,” Weston-Roy says. Shortly into her book-biking ventures, the support and fundraising for her mission followed.
Today, Niche is entirely online with goals to open a brick-and-mortar shop in 2021. A variety of literature by independent, local Black authors, and more awaits every bookworm at the online shop of Niche Book Bar. Once the in-person establishment opens for business this year, Weston-Roy will continue using Niche as a vehicle for kids’ literacy. On top of this, helping adults fall back in love with reading is another primary goal of Weston-Roy’s that she will accomplish by offering a diverse selection of strong stories about the Black experience and life as we know it. While we’re all showing up to celebrate Black and BIPOC voices in our storytelling, Weston-Roy stresses, “This isn’t a temporary thing while it’s on everyone’s mind at the moment. It’s always important to have representation across a wide selection of any genre, or platform, or format.”
DIOP: Detroit, Michigan
Mapate Diop, co-founder of the online streetwear brand, DIOP, is a second-generation American. Growing up, wearing something that symbolized his West African heritage was extremely important to him. Which is ultimately what led him and Evan Fried to create DIOP, the fashion brand designing streetwear with Ankara fabric—a boldly patterned West African material.
Founded in Detroit in 2018 DIOP is on a mission to “help you feel like you.” While the Ankara fabric DIOP uses are rooted in West Africa, with origins tracing back to Indonesia, the brand wants the public to know that anyone—with any background—is encouraged to wear their fashionable streetwear.
“It’s an entry point into an ongoing dialogue about cultural appropriation and ideas. We think anything that helps fuel that process and makes it accessible is good,” Diop says. “We wouldn’t have the fabric or design today if other people didn’t take interest in it.” Their apparel is about inclusion, and DIOP encourages people to understand the background behind brands they’re wearing.
What sets co-founders Mapate Diop and Evan Fried apart is their background working for startup companies. Diop explains that he and Fried never set out in their mission to be part of the fashion industry. They approach everything at DIOP with people at the core of what they do.
“It’s not just important for our customers to see themselves in our brand; it’s important for them to hear themselves in our brand, too,” Diop says. The DIOP Circle is a perfect example of how the apparel company puts this message into motion. Here, customers can share their stories as artists, creators, and humans interacting with the brand simply by showing their interest in a direct message to the brand on social media or through email. DIOP also donates to local and national organizations including efforts dedicated to social justice, social rights, prison reform, food insecurity, and more.
Since the start of COVID-19, DIOP has supported their local and national community’s relief efforts by manufacturing masks using their boldly patterned fabric. Last spring, a portion of every purchase was donated to relief efforts in Southeast Michigan. For anyone looking to engage with the brand, DIOP encourages everyone to interact with their boldly patterned fabrics by shopping and sharing their stories through The DIOP Circle online.
Equal Minded Cafe & Events Center: Kansas City, Missouri
Located in the Troost neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, founder Dontavious Young is fostering an environment built on inclusivity and connectivity at Equal Minded Cafe & Events Center. When Young’s grandmother bought the space nearly a decade ago, she wanted to unite not only the Troost neighborhood, but the surrounding neighborhoods of Kansas City, MO, too. Over the years, his grandmother’s space took on many different identities operating as an event center for the community near Troost Avenue.
Through the years, however, Young noticed a need. He found that what the neighborhood really needed was a coffeeshop-like space for people to gather in conversation on a daily—or weekly—basis. “We have people coming from East of Troost who’ve never had a coffee shop in their community. Us being here is an opportunity for them to connect when they never would have been before,” Young says.
In June 2018, Young combined his grandmother’s mission of the original event center with his passion for food and customer service by uniting the space with a full service cafe.
“That’s the part I’m passionate about. Those connections, watching those connections, and helping establish those connections. [Equal Minded] is the middleman but also helping people reach their highest potential,” Young says.
Take away the coffee shop and event center and Equal Minded’s mission remains. As a minority-owned business, Equal Minded has always sought to highlight change and inclusivity for their neighborhood. The same has been true during COVID-19. As Young puts it, America underwent two epidemics in 2020. The first being COVID-19, the second being the social justice awakening many experienced as a result of George Floyd’s and several more Black individuals’ murders by police forces everywhere. Equal Minded joined in protest by holding their own.
“I put up lots of signs on the windows that people helped me decorate. I put our signs on the street, put out signs everywhere,” Young says. “That piece on top of who Equal Minded was before COVID-19 or any of this happened, that was our message a long time ago so a lot more people found us because of that.”
As the cafe and event center approaches their third anniversary this June, Young looks forward to welcoming more people to Equal Minded. Whether you’re part of the surrounding Kansas City neighborhoods or looking to engage online, follow Equal Minded on social media and stop by the cafe on Troost Avenue for coffee and conversation. The public is also welcome to use the event center to host baby showers, open mic nights, book signings, and more. “We have a lot of different backgrounds that come in. We want to understand the opposing side before we pass any judgement,” Young says.
Follow Equal Minded Cafe & Events Center on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Want more? Find more Black-owned businesses using the guides below.
- Chez Nous Guide: Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Shop Black Owned Coast App: Follow on Instagram and Twitter
- Black Business Green Book from Color of Change: Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Search local media or run a Google search to find more Black-owned businesses near you
