MILWAUKEE — You know the sensation of walking into a bookstore - you get hit with the smell of new books and maybe a little coffee? Well, Milwaukee's newest bookstore definitely has that, but it's not just any bookstore. It has a very specific mission.
It took about four years, but Cetonia Weston finally opened her shop, Niche Book Bar, at 1937 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Milwaukee. After a few soft launches, it formally opened on Jan. 28.
Weston's goal is to celebrate Black literature and authors. That's why you won't find many books in her store that aren't by a Black author.
"My goal is 80 to 90 percent Black-authored books," Weston said. "I will also include books with Black characters or with maybe, if it's nonfiction and the person behind it was Black but maybe the writer wasn't."
According to a self-published audit from publishing giant Penguin Random House, only about 6 percent of books it published from 2019 to 2021 were written by Black authors. Weston wants to celebrate those authors and hopes more are published each year.
"The idea of the store is representative literature that is in a wide variety of genres," Weston said.
She carries everything from young adult to fantasy to sci-fi to fiction to memoirs to history to cookbooks and more.
"I was also very specifically finding books by Black authors or with Black characters that weren't just rooted in trauma," Weston said. "It used to be maybe just during Black History Month that books would be put up, and they were all trauma-based literature. You didn't really see any other genre, so I wanted to be intentional about the books I selected."
During the four years she was trying to open, she had multiple bad experiences with contractors, which delayed opening. In the meantime, she rode around on a bike with books on it, hosting or attending pop-ups. All the while, she was raising her two kids. She never lost sight of her goal through all the ups and downs.
"Well, my mom raised a stubborn person, so to me, it was just like, just keep going, just keep going. I can't let these things stop me," Weston said.
Now, her dream of owning a bookshop has come true.
"It feels sometimes a little unreal."
It might have taken Niche Book Bar a few years to open, but now that they are here, they're here to stay.
Here are the operating hours:
- Friday 11 am - 7 pm
- Saturday 10 am - 5 pm
- Sunday Closed
- Monday Closed
- Monday 11 am - 6 pm
- Tuesday 11 am - 6 pm
- Wednesday 11 am - 6 pm
- Thursday 11 am - 6 pm
Watch Niche Book Bar and Cetonia Weston's Story Here...
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