Silverton store joins storied Black-owned bookseller resurgence
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From children's books and manga to buzzy BookTok picks and titles from local authors, Major Minor Books & Such owner Amber Walker wants to give her community options. Photos: Kristen Swilley/Axios
Amber Walker had a hunch: Cincinnati had plenty of readers like her. They just needed another place to find each other.
- When she pitched opening a bookstore to her decidedly non-reader husband, she told him: "My people are out there. They will find us." They did.
Why it matters: Walker launched Major Minor Books & Such, a Black-owned independent bookstore in Silverton, on May 2. Her leap into bookselling comes amid a resurgence of Black-owned bookstores nationwide.
- The National Association of Black Bookstores counted 306 Black-owned bookstores, about 8% of independent bookstores nationwide.
- That's up from roughly 55 about a decade ago, after the number had fallen from about 325 in the late 1990s.
- The broader indie bookstore industry is booming, too, with the number of stores up nearly 70% over the past five years, according to the American Booksellers Association.
The big picture: Walker says Major Minor drawn far more customers than she expected in its first few months.
- She says customers have poured in from Kennedy Heights, Pleasant Ridge and beyond, exceeding her expectations for the store's first few months.
- "We've had far more than I could have ever imagined," Walker tells Axios. "It's been nothing short of exceptional."
How it started: The idea for Major Minor came while Walker was home recovering from surgery and reading roughly a book a day.
- Books had always been part of her life. Her mother, who works at the store too, was an avid reader when Walker was growing up.
- Walker was already involved in several personal and professional book clubs — and had become the person friends called when they wanted to talk books.
- Eventually, she wondered why she wasn't selling them.
Yes, but: The comeback doesn't guarantee financial security. Nearly 90% of Black-owned bookstores report less than $250,000 in annual revenue, and 36% don't have a permanent storefront.
Zoom in: Walker has found success personally curating Major Minor's shelves, balancing sales data with BookTok trends, celebrity book clubs, customer requests and her own instincts.
- The selection stretches from children's books and manga to bestsellers and works by local authors.
- One of Walker's biggest surprises has been discovering just how many Cincinnati-area writers are self-publishing without the reach of major publishing houses.
Between the lines: For Walker, selling books is only part of the idea.
She wanted Major Minor to "feel like home" — a place where readers could stick around after finding their next book.
- Customers can bring food or coffee into the cafe-style space, use the free Wi-Fi, hold meetings or settle into the soft seating with a book.
- The store hosts book clubs, story times, community gatherings and local author events.
- Its event calendar was already booked through October when Walker spoke with Axios.
The bottom line: Walker bet that her fellow book people would find her.
A few months in, they're not just finding Major Minor. They're staying a while.