First Black-Owned Bookstore in Farmers Branch Closes After Months of Harassment

The small BlackLIT bookstore in Farmers Branch celebrated its second anniversary last month with music, vendors and community. But behind the festive atmosphere, there was a sense of finality. Founder and CEO Nia-Tayler Clark had announced the store would close after just two years, due to months of harassment from a neighbor and ongoing issues with building management.

For many in the community, BlackLIT was more than a bookstore: it was a safe haven and a place that represented black culture in a region lacking such spaces.

BlackLIT regular Seveyon Willis-Hill expressed the profound loss the closure represents.

“It’s a space that gives voice even without speaking,” he said.

Supporter Alandria Ford said she saw the closure not as an end but as motivation to create more spaces like this.

“It’s a space where God’s people can come and enjoy black culture and black literature,” Ford said.

Clark launched BlackLIT in 2019 as a subscription box service that included a book with discussion questions, a t-shirt and some products from Black-owned businesses. The idea came to him after a student pointed out that they didn’t read because they were black. Concerned about the impact of such a state of mind, she created a platform presenting books by black authors.

“I just didn’t want my son to become my 10th grade student or someone else’s student,” Clark said. “I wanted them to start seeing themselves in books and know that literacy was for them too. »

The service quickly grew in popularity, with Oprah Magazine ranking it as the second best subscription box of its type in 2020.

“I called my mom and said, ‘Mom, I think I’m on Oprah,'” she said. “I’m at my job, sitting here looking at him.”

Overnight, BlackLIT went from a few orders to a few thousand orders over the Christmas period. Clark says it happened so quickly with so little help that it almost killed his business. This prompted him to open a physical store in 2022. The location was chosen with a mission to support other Black-owned businesses.

“Where BlackLIT is right now, the open businesses are owned by Black women,” Clark said. “We are surrounded by neighbors who look like us.”

But opening the bookstore came with many challenges. As a first-time store owner, Clark faced financial obstacles and lack of support from building management. Problems ranged from late rent payments to lack of basic utilities like hot water and air conditioning. Even after raising $40,000 from the community to cover the payment, problems persisted.

“It seemed like (management) was annoyed, to be honest, with having to deal with this,” Clark said.

In addition to the financial burdens, unwelcoming neighbors began to harass the business. Clark recalls a series of disturbing incidents, including when a man entered the store with his lease in hand – along with personal information.

When this was brought to management’s attention, Clark said she acted without being aware of the situation. Building management declined to answer KERA’s questions about its response.

The situation took a darker turn when another neighbor began showing up at the store, attending women’s events and making inappropriate advances toward attendees.

“We just thought it was like an uncomfortable coincidence,” Clark said. “But then we got to the point where we clearly saw that it wasn’t a coincidence.”

The Farmers Branch Police Department was called to the store at least five times between February and October. But officers informed Clark that without clear evidence, they could not make an arrest. Despite repeated reports to the police and building management, the harassment continued.

The challenges BlackLIT has faced are similar to those of other Black-owned bookstores in North Texas. Emma Rodgers, who opened the first black-owned bookstore in Dallas, Black Images Book Bazaar, in 1977, faced numerous threats, including a swastika carved into her building.

“I treated every threat seriously,” she said. “I didn’t take anything for granted.”

Despite her resilience, Rodgers said she is disheartened by the harassment BLACKLIT faces today and the lack of immediate support.

“I don’t know why America is so threatened by black success,” she said.

According to the African American Literature Book Club, there are approximately 160 Black-owned bookstores in the United States. Many face similar challenges, from financial barriers to threats and harassment.

For Clark, closing BlackLIT means more than closing a business; it’s a step to protect her family and the community she’s built.

“As a mom, I can’t expect anything worse,” she said. “It’s worse now.”

Farmers Branch police eventually issued his stalker a criminal trespass warning, and Clark has since obtained a temporary restraining order against him. The building management office told KERA via email that it had “decided to evict the individual but cannot act until the court has rendered its judgment.”

“What I don’t want is anyone to say they didn’t know,” Clark said.

Now without a store, Clark faces an uncertain future. She plans to move back in with her family while she plans the next chapter of her business.

Her commitment to creating spaces for black literature and culture remains strong, even as she searches for a new location.

Zara Amaechi is KERA’s Marjorie Welch Fitts Louis Fellow covering race and social justice. Do you have any advice? Email Zara at [email protected]. You can follow her on @amaechizara.

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