Black-Owned Bookstore Finds New Home After Facing Racism
Liberation Station to Reopen in Southeast Raleigh Hub on Juneteenth
A beloved children’s bookstore, forced to close its downtown Raleigh location last year due to a surge of racism and threats, is set to return. Liberation Station has secured a new, larger space in Montague Plaza, a development specifically designed to support Black-owned businesses.
A Promise of Return
The bookstore’s owner, **Victoria Scott-Miller**, had vowed to find a new place for the community. “We will find our place; we will find the place that was designed for us,”
**Scott-Miller** told WRAL in 2024. That promise is now being fulfilled, with the new location central to the bookstore’s ongoing narrative of resilience.
A Haven for Black Childhood
Liberation Station’s new home in Montague Plaza is a 15,000-square-foot dedicated space for Black entrepreneurs. “We’re excited to bring authors and illustrators back to the city of Raleigh, especially southeast Raleigh,”
**Scott-Miller** shared, highlighting the importance of representation.
From Trunk to Threats
The journey for **Scott-Miller** and her husband began with recognizing a significant gap in children’s literature featuring Black characters. They started by selling books from their car trunk and at pop-up shops before establishing their downtown Raleigh store. However, within a year, the couple faced what they described as a devastating barrage of racism and threats.
“We had to close not because we failed, we had to close because our nervous systems have been broken,” **Scott-Miller** stated.
“There was such a disruption of peace that we felt that we could not effectively serve our community.”—Victoria Scott-Miller
The painful decision to close, **Scott-Miller** explained, provided a crucial opportunity for reflection and reimagining. “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, um, not only the bookstore, but then our own personal safety.”
A Larger Space, a Deeper Mission
The new location is set to be triple the size of their original store. **Scott-Miller** envisions the space as a sanctuary where children can feel seen and valued. “Bookshelves are a form of protest and liberation and joy,”
she 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.”
The grand reopening is scheduled for Juneteenth of next year. Liberation Station plans to enhance its offerings with expanded programming, including story times and workshops featuring children’s authors.
Supporting this community cornerstone is crucial. As of 2024, there are approximately 3,200 Black-owned businesses in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a number that highlights the ongoing need to support and uplift these vital enterprises. Liberation Station is currently fundraising for its relaunch, with opportunities for community support available through a GoFundMe campaign and a Ko-Fi Membership program aimed at ensuring long-term sustainability.
