I shared a while back that I was on a mission to spend more money on black-owned businesses when I could, and share my experiences with you all so you could check out some cool new businesses too. Well, after seeing a black woman owned bookstore based in Chicago, I decided to hit up Semicolon Books!
My Experience
I visited the store on what I think was their first day open post-renovations and it was the cutest store I’ve ever seen. It is so bright and fun, my only complaint was that it was a bit crowded (which is obviously a pandemic problem). The store is cashless, so if you want to check it out definitely keep that in mind if you decide to visit. They had a little bit of everything, cookbooks, memoirs, children’s books, and a great selection of black authors.
What I Got
If you read my blog post ranking my pandemic reads, then you know I am a sucker for a good romantic comedy book, so after getting a suggestion from my friend (and podcast co-host, shameless plug), I decided to buy Get a Life, Chloe Brown and More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by former Teen Vogue EIC Elaine Welteroth.
Basically, if you live in Chicago, I recommend you check this store out. Their website is www.semicolonchi.com and they’re located at 515 N Halsted St Chicago, IL 60642. Also, let me know in the comments any other black owned businesses I should try out for another blog post!
