Marcus Books, America's oldest Black-owned independent bookstore, got its start in San Francisco. Now, it's part of a growing, albeit fragile, national comeback.

Why it matters: As public schools and libraries remove books by Black authors — from "Beloved" to The 1619 Project — Black-owned bookstores like Marcus Books are increasingly serving as places where readers can access contested titles and authors' full bodies of work — and gather in community to discuss them.

• Today, 306 Black-owned bookstores exist across the U.S., up from 54 just a decade ago, per the first State of the Black Bookstore report.

What they're saying: "Our mission, intent and resolve are not, and have never been, dependent upon the sometimes racist whims of the federal government," Marcus Books manager Blanche Richardson told Axios via email. "The truth cannot be rewritten nor erased anyway."

Flashback: Richardson's parents, Raye and Julian Richardson, opened Marcus Books (named after political activist Marcus Garvey) in 1960 after moving to the Fillmore District.

• They "wanted to create a space" where the community could come together and access information about their history and culture, according to Richardson.
• The store resurrected books that had gone out of print, published works by independent authors and poets and served as a central hub for the development of cultural revolutions like the Black Power movement.
• After San Francisco displaced thousands of Black families during the 1960s urban renewal, Marcus Books opened a second location in Oakland to serve the people of color who resettled there.

Reality check: Financial challenges, including high operating costs and competition from big online booksellers, forced the San Francisco location to close in 2014.

• "There are no other Black bookstores in San Francisco, and now there is no Marcus Books, either," Richardson said.
• Equitable financial and institutional support are key to sustaining such businesses, according to Richardson.
• "This is not rocket science and there are many precedents to follow," she added. "But first, there must be a desire to maintain a vibrant Black community in the city."

Zoom out: "We're in a climate right now where our history is being erased," Jill Gibson, CEO of the National Association of Black Bookstores, said. "It points to a need more than ever for visibility."

Go deeper

For a city that's often foggy and cold, we sure do love our ice cream, and even more so when it's warm enough that a double scoop feels less like a treat and more like a necessity.

The latest: Here's where to grab a sweet treat to help you cool down this week.

🥤The Ice Cream Bar — Cole Valley

• This 1930s-inspired ice cream parlor leans into the era's classic soda fountain vibe. Get a pint to go or opt for a boozy milkshake. Don't skip out on their banana puddin' flavor — it's a must.
• Hours vary. Wednesday- Sunday at 815 Cole St.

🍦Bi-Rite Creamery — Mission

• A classic — you can never go wrong when grabbing a cone here. The Earl Grey flavor is a standout for tea lovers, with subtle citrus notes from the bergamot.
• 12-9pm daily at 3692 18th St.

🇮🇹 Hila — Mission

• This cafe and gelateria stays true to its roots with traditional Sicilian-style gelato.
• Hours vary. Open daily except Wednesday at 951 Valencia St.

🥥 Mitchell's — Mission

• Mitchell's has been around since 1953 and is one of the city's most loved ice cream shops, known for Filipino-inspired flavors like ube and macapuno (coconut).
• 11:30am-11pm daily at 688 San Jose Ave.

🧑‍🍳 Hometown Creamery — Inner Sunset, Hayes Valley

• Always made from scratch, Hometown's ice cream flavors draw from global influences and what's in season.
• 12-10pm daily at 1290 9th Ave. and 432A Octavia St.

🍨 Swensen's — Russian Hill

• This charming shop dating back to 1948 prides itself on sundaes, shakes and classic scoops. Opt for one of their house-made waffle cones (the best kind).
• 12- 10pm Tuesday-Sunday at 1999 Hyde St.

More scoops

The Caltrain station at 4th and King streets could look radically different under a new redevelopment proposal.

The big picture: The 20-acre site, owned by developer Prologis, runs along Townsend and King streets between 4th and 7th and is currently used as a Caltrain station and rail yard.

• The project would convert the site into a cluster of buildings anchored by an 850-foot skyscraper on the corner of 4th and King and replace the existing Caltrain station with a modernized facility.
• It'd create roughly 2,500 residential units, including affordable housing, and about 4 million square feet of commercial space.
• All told, the development would cover up to 8 million square feet.

What's next: The project application was submitted to the city's Planning Department earlier this month and will undergo an environmental review.

What to expect

📚 About 15,000 students received their public school assignments this week, as families continue to grapple with SFUSD's confusing lottery system despite promises to simplify the process. (SF Standard)

❌ The decade-old pizzeria Del Popolo will permanently close on May 8. (SFGATE)

🌿 Board of Supervisors president Rafael Mandelman is pushing to open cannabis cafes in San Francisco. (KQED)

🅿️ An advisory committee to SFMTA is once again proposing to end free Sunday parking and expand meter hours as part of broader efforts to close Muni's looming budget deficit. (SF Chronicle)

👀 Dive bar connoisseurs unite! You surely know where I was this week.

🍸 Hint: This legacy watering hole — which first opened in 1941 — is decorated with a mural of a Persian love story, only takes cash and is known for its stiff martinis.

👉 Hit reply with your best guess.