Liberation Station Bookstore opening in downtown Raleigh

Downtown Raleigh is set to add a new bookstore to its roster of retail businesses.

Driving the news: Liberation Station Bookstore, a Black-owned business that has operated as a pop-up since 2019, will open at 208 Fayetteville St., owner Victoria Scott-Miller told Axios.

Flashback: Scott-Miller and her husband Duane Miller struggled to find books for their two young sons that featured characters of color.

• So they decided to start their own shop — even writing their own books — to fill in the gap. The efforts struck a chord during the pandemic, leading to features on Good Morning America and CNN.

What they're saying: "We started this bookstore in 2019 out of the trunk of our car. We didn't have access to capital. We just showed up at coffee shops, alleyways and churches with a four-foot table and these books," Scott-Miller said.

• "We knew it was something fulfilling for our children but we did not realize the impact seeing books not based on trauma narratives but hope — like that I could be a scientist — would have on other children."

The big picture: Liberation Station joins a growing cohort of Black-owned businesses near the intersection of Salisbury Street and Hargett Street, once a thriving hub of Black businesses.

• Nearby Black-owned stores include clothing boutique Nashone and Black Friday Market.

Details: The opening date for the store will be June 17, the same day as the city's Juneteenth festivities.

• Scott-Miller is also launching a crowdfunding campaign with The Bulls of Durham organization to add more amenities to the space once it opens.
• The store will feature a section for books that have been banned from some school curriculums, like James Baldwin's "Go Tell it on the Mountain" and Toni Morrison's "Beloved."

Go deeper: The Triangle's bookstore scene is growing