Looking to support Black-owned businesses in your community? Check out these bookstores and cafés perfect for curling up with a good read or sipping your favorite brew.
Bookstores
1. Harriett’s Bookshop
Philadelphia
Located in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, Harriett’s Bookshop is one of the City of Brotherly Love’s many great Black-owned businesses. Named after the renowned abolitionist, women’s suffragist, and social activist Harriet Tubman, owner Jeannine Cook opened the store with a mission of celebrating female authors, artists, and activists. Grab a classic and curl up in a cozy corner or browse the store’s vast selection.
2. A Concrete Rose
Lancaster
A Concrete Rose is one of downtown SouthEast Lancaster’s hippest new hangouts with a bookstore, micro-winery, and live entertainment venue all under one roof. Their bookstore features books and art created by authors and artists of African descent throughout the world with the goal of providing the local community with the opportunity to learn about different cultures and freely express themselves. Pick up a book and a glass of wine and get ready to expand your literary horizons.
3. The Black Reserve Bookstore
Lansdale
The Black Reserve Bookstore‘s mission is to uplift and give significant access to Black culture and history through a curated collection books in all genres and for all ages — from toddlers to teens and tweens to adults. Here you’ll find fantasies, moral stories, reference books, general learning books, action books, and innovative idea books. There are picture books, board books, story and sticker books, 3D books, and spring up books providing readers an uplifting experience.
4. Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse
Philadelphia
Nestled in Philadelphia’s East Kensington neighborhood, Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse is considered the only comic bookstore owned by an African American woman on the East Coast. The store is a haven for comic book fans, hardcore gamers, and movie lovers to come together in celebration of self-proclaimed “geek culture.”
5. The Tiny Bookstore
Pittsburgh
With a footprint of just 300 square feet, The Tiny Bookstore is Pittsburgh's smallest independent bookstore. Featuring new and bargain books along with gifts, toys, and collectables, although tiny, this space in the Pines Shops at Pines Plaza contains a broad selection of reading materials and merchandise. Be sure to check out the Homebrewer’s Corner that’s dedicated to beer and craft beer lovers.
6. Hakim’s Bookstore & Gift Shop
Philadelphia
Since the late 1950s Hakim’s Bookstore & Gift Shop has operated in West Philadelphia and is known for carrying rare books and periodicals not available in mainstream libraries and bookstores. Today, the store sells 17 categories of literature from children’s books to philosophy and psychology, specializing in African American history and education. The site will soon be bookmarked as a historical landmark, even more reason to make the trip to the oldest African American bookstore on the East Coast.
Coffee Shops and Cafés
7. The Tricycle Cafe & Bike Shop
Conshohocken
The Tricycle Cafe is the ultimate destination for those who value good brews on the go. Located right next to the Schuylkill River Trail, visitors can stop in to grab a coffee and shop for all their cycling needs before continuing their journey through Montgomery County.
8. Timeless Café
Lebanon
As a farm-to-table hot spot, Timeless Café serves up the freshest ingredients from Lebanon County for breakfast and lunch. From growing their own veggies to keeping their own bees, this small business offers the perfect place for a healthy meal in a relaxing atmosphere. Stop in to enjoy their specialty coffees and teas and be sure to admire the locally sourced artwork.
9. Harmony Café
York
Located in the heart of downtown York, Harmony Café is named after the owner’s 8-year-old daughter and is on a mission to create an inclusive, community-driven home for caffeine lovers. Just steps away from the historic Central Market House, Harmony Café is a great place to begin your day before exploring York’s great attractions.
10. Lucky Goat Coffee House
Philadelphia
Lucky Goat Coffee House is a family-owned shop in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia that aims to present the arts and culture of Africa to community members by promoting designs and décor curated by African artists. Since opening in 2013, the family has worked with local roasters and bakeries to serve fresh food including pastries and bagels along with deliciously brewed tea and coffee.
11. Lit Coffee Roastery & Bakeshop
Bethlehem
Lit Coffee Roastery & Bakeshop is a hip coffee shop and hangout in Bethlehem's South Side, just next to Lehigh University’s campus. Offering baked goods and freshly brewed coffee, this spot provides a nice, quiet place to get your caffeine fill and complete some work.
12. Café 7-10
Erie
Café 7-10 is a small coffee shop and bakery located in downtown Erie and is a staple in the community. Owner Mable Howard, a poet and nonprofit leader, opened Café 7-10’s doors to create a safe space where people can come together to express themselves through poetry readings, which she hosts for local poets and writers to share their work. When you stop by, don’t forget to try their classic sweet potato pie!
13. Griff’s Grounds Coffè
Penn Hills
Griff’s Grounds Coffè is a family-owned and operated business located east of Pittsburgh in Penn Hills. Fresh ground-to-order coffee is what makes Griff’s special — once an order is received, each variety of bean is put into its own separate grinder and the coffee takes about four minutes to brew in a French press. Beyond a fantastic cup of joe, you can pick up CBD oil and other products before exploring the area.
14. Coffee Cream and Dreams
Philadelphia
Located in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, Coffee Cream and Dreams prides itself on working with local organic dairy suppliers and bakeries to source the freshest, highest quality ingredients. The café is a comfortable spot to spend a long coffee catch-up with friends on a chilly winter afternoon. In addition to their selection of hot and iced drinks, make sure to order their savory and sweet pastries.
Books and Brews
15. Good Brothas Café
Harrisburg
Located in downtown Harrisburg’s McCormick Riverfront Library, Good Brothas Café‘s mission is to bridge cultures through coffee and literature. The café is the first Black-owned coffee shop and bookstore in the Harrisburg area. With coffee, tea, pastries, and books by Black authors, this café is the perfect place to sit and dig into your library haul.
16. Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books
Philadelphia
Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books is a dual-functioning coffee shop and bookstore located in the heart of Germantown. Founded in 2017, the shop was created to provide a welcoming space for underserved communities and offer them access to books. With a full-service coffee and espresso bar, vegan cookies and brownies, plus apparel and children's games, this is the perfect spot to sit back, relax, and enjoy an afternoon.
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