Blessings, my fine People.
When I initially came up with the idea to start My Black Lemonade, I told family and friends hoping they would aid me in discovering new Black owned gems. Basically, they’re my support team. The day after I mentioned this idea to one of my friends, she came across Semicolon Bookstore that had gone viral on Instagram because Oprah’s bookclub posted about it. It’s owned by a Black woman, Danielle Mullen, but the best part was that it was located in Chicago! A bookstore owned by a Black woman that I had probably seen so many times in passing but never knew. I pride myself on being born and raised in Chicago. No matter how bad it may seem or all the things you’ve heard in the media, Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities ever. I’ve been in the thick of it all from hanging with drug dealers (Sorry Mom, God kept me!) to attending prestigious events with millionaires. Not only am I still proud of my city, I am proud of who I am “becoming” in my city as my First Lady Michelle Obama puts it.
Upon hearing about Semicolon, I immediately wanted to support this sister no matter how far I had to travel. I knew it couldn’t have been far at all. I’ve been reading a lot more lately, especially since I have time due to COVID-19, but majority of my books come from Amazon, if not all. It was comforting finding any small independent owned bookstore to serve my introverted side (at times), but now I know of a Black owned one. How dope is that!
I love intimate spaces. You can tell by the way I define My Black Lemonade as a “lovespace” for small Black shop owners. Semicolon means everything to me. My excitement wasn’t for the sake of My Black Lemonade. Yes, I wanted to meet the person behind it but the joy lies solely on the basis of my need to find small intimate spaces. I am truly delighted to know that this establishment exists.
My goal had become to get there– no timeframe just soon. The few pictures I saw on social media didn’t fulfill the vision of the store in my head, so I made it priority to see it for myself. A friend of mine accompanied me. We got lucky and found a meter directly across the street from the store. As we approached the door, a young gentleman opened it to let us in. It was a very earthy, but vibrant and free-spirited energy. It was a cute small space, yet spacious enough to move around. It was as if you could feel the positive energy vibrating off the bright-colored walls. Pride exuded from the workers as they smiled, greeted, and tried to help everyone they could whether it was offering water or finding a particular book.
We perused around the front for a while as I searched for three particular books, then, I did a little front-cover-title shopping as well. The further into the store, the more we noticed new faces coming from the back who weren’t workers. “Oh, this space is larger than I thought!” There were two additional smaller rooms in the back. One room was dedicated to black authors and the other to children’s books.
We took a quick look, but then realized my meter was expiring soon. Trust me, you don’t want to have to add more money to Chicago’s expensive ass meters. “Time to goooo!” -A random quote from The Color Purple. We proceeded to check out.
I wanted nothing more than to meet the owner and hear her story from childhood to now. Was she an introvert who always read when she was younger? Did her past lead her to a life of exploring the world through books? I could feel the passion in the story before hearing it. I noticed business cards on counter so I grabbed one only to see Danielle Mullen’s name. She was the shop owner. I knew her name but not her face. I asked the two ladies behind the counter if either of them was Danielle. They told me she had gone to lunch. I like to introduce myself in person but because of obvious reasons, I figured I would just reach out through email instead in which I was reluctant.
The only thing stopping me was knowing that the risks of trying to interview someone who had just gone viral on social media in a major city like Chicago wouldn’t be in my favor, especially having an underdeveloped platform. I also knew how it may have been perceived using their name and story to grow an audience. If you know me, those are and will never be my intentions. I started this blog to find hidden treasures and help make them known to travelers who may not be on social media. All of my doubts would have stopped me before because I hate rejection, but I decided to go for it anyway. My friend and I have a thing where if something scares us when we’re doing something positive, we go after it harder because it must mean that we’re moving in the right direction. Dreams are manifested outside of your comfort zone. Plus, I thought God was brining me my first major interview. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and being rejected did sting. However, my lesson in this is that it’s teaching me how to continue to strive with a smile on my face. A no doesn’t mean you’re unworthy.
Well, I purchased three books from my first visit at Semicolon:
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – Wanted to read this book because it sounded interesting, it’s a black woman author, and it was auctioned off with a 7-figure deal from HBO.
- More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth – Always wanted this book when I learned who she was.
- Relationship Goals by Todd – I was reading this for a bookclub
I plan to continue shopping at Semicolon. Once I complete these three books, I’ll make my way back there for some other good reads.
Pictured are two reads that caught my eye, Sonya Renee Taylor’s The Body Is Not an Apology and Gabby Rivera’s Juliet Takes A Breath in addition to James Baldwin’s I Am Not Your Negro (unpictured).
Small helpful tips for you if you can’t keep up with all your potential future reads:
- If you have Instagram, create a collection of posts entitled Books to Read. That’ll help you remember your next planned reads. I think Pinterest could also work too.
- Don’t expect prices at Semicolon to look like Amazon’s prices. Amazon can afford to buy books in bulk and sell them at a much lesser cost. We’re trying to support this sister in getting to the point of having Amazon’s prices as well.
Well, now that I have some reading to do, I can’t leave without raising my glass to make a toast to Danielle Mullen of Semicolon Bookstore. Cheers to building a Black legacy!
Signed in Black,
Natasha Noire
Semicolon Bookstore
515 N. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL 60642
