Professor Anyabwile Love opened his Brewerytown bookshop this past October, Bailey Street Books. The store’s opening actually came earlier than expected.

The shop carries rare Black literature from vintage editions of James Baldwin classics to rare local poetry, and texts by Maya Angelou and Angela Davis. 

Love has even set his eyes on scoping out some vintage Black children's books, with plans for comic books moving forward too.

Love is a professor at the Community College of Philadelphia, where he teaches in the college’s History and Black Studies departments.

He began considering his own book store after experiencing some success selling items online. He’d sell Black literature, toys, and memorabilia. 

After downsizing his home, Love was left with an overwhelming amount of literature and no ideal storage space. He gifted some texts, but eventually moved many of the books to their own retail space within the Brewerytown Beats record store.

He was given a space to store and sell the books, and the space would become his own section of the shop: Bailey Street Books.

Two major themes of Bailey Street Books are history and love. The shop even ran a 10% off deal as a “BlackLoveDay” discount.

Black literary history is an important part of Bailey Street Books, as are the stories of one’s own memory. Preservation and access to this literature fits into the shop's mission. 

While Love has been offering some books up for sale, a ringing sentiment has told him to make some available for free, to many, granting him his own public library of sorts.

“What if we had [the literature], so that other folks could have access to it?” posed Love in conversation with Billy Penn.

Fitting into his own history, Love has found his readings to be impactful since childhood. Civil Rights and Black Power era readings held a particularly strong impact.

Love believes historically Black bookstores have acted as “spaces for refuge” and conversation for some. Bailey Street Books is his contribution to this sense of calm, understanding, and discourse.

The book shop has held two events this month, with a third coming on Feb. 26. 

On the late February date, wellness practitioner Shesheena A. Bray will facilitate a letter-writing session supporting Black wellness and mindfulness.

Bailey Street Books is planning more events and discussions with special guests for the future.

Love’s Bailey Street Books shop is located at 1517 N. Bailey Street in Philly, within Brewerytown Beats. The shop is open Fridays through Sunday from 1:00-5:00 p.m.