How One Black-Owned Bookstore in Chicago Is Staying Open
Danielle Mullen’s shop went from slow to surging demand and now is working to sustain the increase in business.
Danielle Mullen launched Semicolon, the sole Black female-owned bookstore in Chicago, in 2019, after she was treated for ocular cancer. She named the store after a nonprofit that encourages people to keep going during difficult times. When she learned this March that she’d have to close because of the Covid-19 pandemic, she maneuvered quickly to sustain her business, which combines her love of literature and focus on community.
Days before the shutdown took effect, Mullen gave away many of the books on Semicolon’s shelves to local public school students. She then set up a GoFundMe crowdsourcing campaign to raise money for subsequent giveaways to students of more than 3,500 books, an effort she’s continuing.