ST. LOUIS — Noir Bookshop owner Ymani Wince says she wants her business to offer a chance to experience a taste of Black culture.
“My purpose is to put books in the community by any means necessary,” said Wince.
According to Wince, there are over 2,000 independently owned bookstores across the nation and only 125 are Black-owned. She urges people to support local bookstores, according to Wince, Amazon is projected to take over independent bookstores by 2025.
She hopes the Noir Book Shop can be a source of wealth in knowledge, like a Black library.
After her grand opening in May, Wince says that her business had a great summer, and she is excited to see what the rest of the year has to offer.
The people she serves have shown her the importance of her bookstore, its significance in the community, and how far it can go. She is grateful for all the love and support.
In her opinion, all parts of American history of this country should be talked about, studied, and the perspective of Black people should also be shared.
“We’ve had critical Black thinkers since the beginning of time. Those books are published and out on the streets, and need to stay in circulation,” she said.
Wince welcomes all readers to her store, those who are new to the culture, familiar, or simply want to expand their horizons. She encourages folks to read books on the ban list, especially books by Black authors. She says that list is filled overwhelmingly with Black authors.
In a story by Education Week, Since January 2021 42 states have passed laws or policies that restrict teaching critical race theory or have restraints on how teachers can talk about racism, sexism, and gender identity. States like Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi all have passed legislation regarding the teaching of critical race theory.
“This industry doesn’t value Black authors,” said Wince.
Wince’s store is also pushing back against book bans.
“My place in the industry is to shed light on Black authors and forthcoming titles, but also to keep pushing what's already there,” she said.
Her bookstore operates in concepts, she selects books based on what she wants the community to learn, timeless books, and what the community is interested in reading.
Referencing authors like James Baldwin and Toni Morrison, Wince believes that their books, poems, and essays are just as important today as they were back then. She says with the second coming of the Civil Rights movement with the killing of Trayvon Martin, she imagines her store as a hangout for the Black Panthers.
A place where ideas of empowerment can come to fruition, strategies for breaking systemic racism. A space that celebrates and honors but also a place to just chill and hang out.
The decor of the Noir Bookshop is designed to be just that, it’s so welcoming and warm. It’s like walking into Big Mama’s house, Black art hanging on the wall, a picture of the Last Supper, dim lighting, and the bronze-colored cake pans adorn the wall just above the bookshelves.
The bookstore is a quiet recognition of the Black culture that Black people feel when they visit her shop.
“This is for St. Louis USA, I work for the community, I care about what’s going on in this city,” said Wince. But with the good comes the bad or even ugly and the bookstore owner has received the ugly of being a Black-owned business. Folks have called her shop a racist bookstore, but her response to that is, “I don’t have to ask anyone if I could pursue my dreams”
She says that she is saying that with her chest, she means every word of that. And that people will just have to deal with her store being there and being Black.
Wince hopes to one day partner with Harris Stowe State University or Wash U, she would like to be an extension to their African American studies courses. She said, “I hope in my old age the universities take over my bookshop but still keep it for the people.” She wants to make her bookshop the people’s museum, her mission is to educate.
She sees a Noir Gala in the future, and she has aspirations to give out Noir Bookshop scholarships and honor those in the community. “I want to carry out the work our people have done. I know I have not done a tone of things in my lifetime, but I can push the ball down the field,” said Wince.
To learn more visit Noir Bookshop.com or visit her at 2317 Cherokee St.