Black Woman-Owned Bookstore Seeks Funds For New Home in Bed-Stuy

Black woman-owned bookstore Adanne, founded by Darlene Okpo, is seeking crowdfunding for its new home in Bed-Stuy after the owner of its Dumbo location gave them 30 days to vacate the premises after escalating issues.

While Okpo has her sights on moving her business to Bed-Stuy, the needed finances to fund the move out of downtown Brooklyn must be crowdsourced. On June 27, the entrepreneur went to her store’s Instagram page to reach out to her over 5,000 followers about the issue.

“As a loyal supporter of Adanne, I wanted to reach out and let you know that I will have to move my business out of Dumbo,” shared Okpo.

“I am grateful to have found a new location with a larger space where my vision for Adanne can continue to grow and expand, and where I can thrive as an entrepreneur. In order for me to move forward, I need financial support to make this dream a reality.”

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After bouts of worry that her following would not empathize enough with her plight and situation, Okpo was happily surprised when her community showed up for her. So far, she has raised over $7,500, with a goal of $30k to be pledged by Aug. 31.

Okpo is hopeful that her customers will follow along in the journey to Bed-Stuy, where she is a native herself and consider it a “full-circle moment” to return to her roots, she tells BKReader.

Despite the rushed process, the Black business owner is ultimately happy that she will be able to place her store in the culturally rich and historically Black neighborhood, encouraging the residents, young and old, to gather and share in the joy of reading.

“I want to promote literacy and make sure people are enjoying their love for reading and reading books that inspire them,” shared Okpo on her mission.

Adanne is committed to being a bookstore that cultivates creativity and openness through literature, and can still be shopped online as it transitions to its new space.