About
OUR MISSION
A Place to be Seen & Celebrated
Welcome to Black Tea Bookshop! We are a community-focused bookstore that aims to promote & celebrate Black literature, history & culture. Our goal is simple - to provide a platform for Black authors & to highlight their important contributions to literature. We are proud to offer a diverse collection of books that reflect the complexity, experiences & perspectives of the Black community.
We are committed to creating a welcoming & inclusive environment for all of our customers at Black Tea Bookshop. We hope that you find something that inspires you & helps you to grow. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Come visit us at The Shops at Sharp End located at 500 E Walnut St #109, Columbia, MO 65201. Shop Wednesday-Saturday from 10:00am-6:00pm.
"I don't want anyone to walk through the world feeling invisible ever again." Jacqueline Woodson
Hey, Friend! I'm Candace!
I’ve always loved words and reading. My favorite parts of any school day were focused on reading and writing. Whether that was meeting in a small group with my teacher and a few other students to talk about books or sitting in a corner on my own, I was in a happy place. The same is true for grown-up me. Many strangers have become friends in the afterglow of a simple, “So, what are you reading?”
My guess is that lots of readers dream of opening a bookstore someday. Earlier this year, my baby brother came over to visit. In a conversation with my husband and I he said, “Don’t get me wrong: I really like what I do, but I think it’s amazing that you get to do your dream job. That’s dope.” I looked at him for a moment, slightly stunned. “Actually, this isn’t my dream job.” A week later, I sat with my work bestie as she ate her birthday lunch. She asked what I’d do, if I could do anything. “What’s your dream job?” It was at that point that I really started thinking about opening my own bookshop. When I ran the thought past my husband that night, his simple yet enthusiastic reply: What do we need to do?
Black Tea Bookshop is my love offering to the city of Columbia & beyond. This is a place of connection, conversation & community that celebrates that little girl inside who loved to read but rarely found books where she saw herself, her family or her story reflected in the pages.