Liberation Station, the first Black-owned children’s bookstore in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, will be returning to a brick-and-mortar location in 2026.
According to WRAL News, owners Victoria Scott-Miller and her husband were forced to close their bookstore. Now, the couple is coming back stronger than ever in a new space at Montague Plaza, a 15,000-square-foot facility in southeast Raleigh devoted entirely to Black-owned businesses, with a footprint three times larger than their first location. They intend to broaden their offerings by hosting children’s story sessions and author-led workshops.
“We’re excited to bring authors and illustrators back to the city of Raleigh, especially southeast Raleigh,” Scott-Miller told WRAL News.
Why did Raleigh’s first Black-owned children’s bookstore close?
The Millers identified a gap in the Triangle for children’s stories featuring kids of color. Initially, they sold titles from their car trunk and through a series of pop-up shops before finally opening their former venue.
“Bookshelves are a form of protest and liberation and joy,” Victoria said. “So, the fact that they get to see themselves in our store, on every single corner of our store, every shelf is dedicated to the experience of Black childhood.”
As Blavity reported, Liberation Station opened in June 2023. The following year, they endured escalating death threats and targeted hate mail that even involved their young son, starting in September 2023—forcing them to shift operating hours and security measures constantly.
“We had to close not because we failed, we had to close because our nervous systems have been broken,” she said to WRAL News. “There was such a disruption of peace that we felt that we could not effectively serve our community.”
When the Millers raised concerns to their landlord, they learned their leasehold was being marketed to prospective tenants, which ultimately prompted them to announce they would be closing at the end of April 2024. The couple donated the books they had and remained committed to bringing literature to their community and beyond in innovative formats.
How to support the reopening of Raleigh’s first Black-owned children’s bookstore
Scott-Miller said she was immensely thankful that the community’s love allowed them to step back, rest and rethink their vision for the bookstore.
“I’m grateful that we had an opportunity to step back and that we had a community that loves us so much that they allowed us to rest, they allowed us to pause and reimagine what it could look like, not only the bookstore, but then our own personal safety.”
Liberation Station is set to welcome patrons again next year on Juneteenth. In the meantime, as Scott-Miller gears up for the reopening, they’ve launched a GoFundMe account that has raised $29,030 so far out of its $60,000 goal. They are inviting community members to join their Ko-Fi membership initiative for ongoing, sustainable support.
