TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA ) — Tampa City Councilwoman Gwen Henderson has opened a new bookstore filled with thousands of books that share Black history, Black stories and Black excellence.
It was right after city council meeting, Gwendolyn Henderson of District 5 was just blocks away from her home.
“Coming home from city council meeting one day, I saw this beautiful building with a for lease sign in the window and I just had to do it,” Henderson said.
It was an idea she had been sitting on for a few years. Henderson has been an educator for decades and even worked at her high school alma mater, Jefferson High School, for 23 years. It was there she began thinking about opening a bookstore.
“We brought in the program Network for Teaching and Entrepreneurship, I went to Chicago for training and I taught it for five years,” she said. “Three years in I decided to participate with the kids’ because really it was created for minority children to create an entrepreneurial mind-set.”
Alongside her students, Henderson created a business plan. The goal was to open a brick and mortar bookstore. However, for two years she operated online and did pop-up shops.
“I had to do it for the culture,” she said.
But when she saw the building on 401 E Oak Ave, in the neighborhood she grew up in, she knew it was a risk she was willing to take.
“Oddly enough I once scored low on taking risks, but after winning an election and the hard work behind that- I can do anything,” Henderson said.
Black English Bookstore officially opened December 2. It was at that opening, Henderson realized the impact this store would have on the community.
“This girl who I did not know, I sat down in this chair because I was tired,” Henderson recalled. “She bowed in front of me, girl, and she said- thank you doing this for us. I knew exactly what she meant because there’s such a need to walk into a space where it’s just representative of what I imagine, what I want when I walk into a store- I don’t want to be a section.”
That is why the Black English Bookstore is filled with over 2,000 books that talk about Historically Black Colleges and Universities, powerful Black figures like former-President Barack Obama or Anne Lowe. There are even sections on Black love, Black art, books written by Black chefs, a children’s section and more.
It’s a space Henderson created to make sure marginalized communities feel seen and represented.
“There’s diversity within the store,” Henderson said. “I have books written by everyone and they share the same shelf as Black authors because that’s how it should be. The books are liberated in in my store, not banned.”
At a time where books and Black history remain hot topics in Florida, Henderson will not let politics get in the way of her positive impact.
“I always say, I’m not a politician I’m a teacher, a mom, a caregiver,” she said. “No one can hurt me, no one can take away what I’m doing because there’s so much positivity coming out of this that the nay-sayers get to be a nay-sayers and they can be in a group by themselves. I can’t worry about that and I won’t.”
the Black English Bookstore’s slogan is ‘Free to Read.’ It’s an ode to her great-great Grandfather.
“Sam Hightower, when I saw his name on the 1930 census, everyone on the page, no one could read, no one could write,” she said. “I created the tag for him. I will read for him and I will sell books for him.”
Henderson’s space is also where groups can gather for book club and there’s a space inside for make-up artists to rent. It’s a space of inclusion and opportunity for the community.
Black English Bookstore is open Wednesdays – Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
