When I was little, one of my favorite things to do was to browse through bookstores. And sure, Barnes & Noble was larger than life to 8-year-old Chloe, but nothing felt more magical than visiting a small, cozy shop that was only known to the town’s locals.

To highlight one of those special small businesses for BHM, I talked with Danielle Moore (she/her), founder of Chicago’s only Black-woman owned bookstore and gallery, Semicolon. (Who was kind enough to chat with me while on a much-needed sabbatical, BTW.)

Although I haven’t been IRL yet, I read all about Danielle’s work back in 2020, when Covid first took a hit on small businesses everywhere. At the time, Semicolon was only a year old, making the situation a make or break for her as well. But in mid-March that same year, she joined Bookshop after having to close the store’s physical location, and by May, the site accounted for nearly 70% of orders.

Now, Danielle has hard-earned opportunities knocking on her door—like buying the store’s OG location—a business owner’s dream come true. But was that always the goal for her? How did this dream even come to be? “Semicolon’s creation was a complete accident,” she admits. “I wanted a space where I would want to hang out all day, and my favorite things are books and art, so it just made sense. I wanted the space to feel like home, and I believe that it does.”

Semicolon is more than just a place to discover new novels; it’s also a place to admire art. For those who weren’t English Lit majors like moi, art and literature are basically sisters. Danielle agrees: “The two naturally go hand in hand because they both pass along stories,” she explains, “We use art in the space to support the narrative of the literature we carry which is mostly by people of color with imagery.”

Speaking of stories, I wanted to know the ones that Danielle was currently loving. “Right now, I’m reading Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang. And so far, it has been a phenomenal read,” she says. “Another book that will always be on my ‘forever reread’ list is When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo.” BRB while I add those to my Bookshop cart (where you can choose Semicolon as your shop of choice anytime.)

Aside from buying paperbacks in-person or online from Semicolon or businesses like it, Danielle also shares other ways to support her and other owners. “I think it’s important to continue supporting literature by marginalized authors,” she says. “Publishers base their marketing plans on what people actually purchase, so the support of those authors goes a long way. Also, independent bookstores are a pillar of society, and deserve to be treated as such. I know that it’s faster and sometimes cheaper to take other routes, but dropping in to speak with an actual bookseller will blow people’s minds.”

So, the next time you’re visiting a city you’ve never been to before, look up their local bookstore, give them a visit, strike a convo with a staffer, and get something from them if you can. And when you’re at home and ready for your next hardcover haul, give a second thought on where you’re purchasing from before you click “order.” The story will still be the same, I promise.

Have a lit(erary) weekend 📚,
Chloe Trout, associate editor