MahoganyBooks

MahoganyBooks

Company type	Independent bookstore
Industry	Bookselling
Genre	Works by African diaspora
Founded	2007; 18 years ago (2007)
Founder	Derrick Young Ramunda Young
Area served	Washington metropolitan area
Website	www.mahoganybooks.com

MahoganyBooks is an independent bookstore specializing in works by the African diaspora. It was established as an online store in 2007 by Derrick and Ramunda Young. They opened a physical location at the Anacostia Arts Center in 2017 and a second location in National Harbor, Maryland opened on Juneteenth in 2021.[1]

History

MahoganyBooks is a Black-owned company cofounded by Derrick and Ramunda Young.[2] It was established in 2007 as an online bookstore operating out of the Youngs' one-bedroom apartment in Alexandria, Virginia.[2][3] In November 2017, they opened a 500 square feet location at the Anacostia Arts Center.[2] The bookshop is named after their daughter.[4][5] The Youngs opened MahoganyBooks as "a protest movement" aimed at empowering the Black community.[6] The store specializes in works by the African diaspora.[7] MahoganyBooks is the first D.C. bookshop to open east of the Anacostia River since the Pyramid Books chain closed in the mid-1990s.[8][9] The logo is a silhouette of a girl with Afro puffs reading a book.[9]

In 2020, MahoganyBooks won a $5,000 "Resilient Together" grant from Cities of Service, the District of Columbia Office of Planning, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. The funds supported a yearlong series, Black Books Matter: From the Writer's Perspective which featured writings by Ward 8 residents.[5] On January 26, 2021, former U.S. president Barack Obama joined the MahoganyBook book club's Black History Month virtual kickoff meeting.[10]

In 2021, a second location opened on Juneteenth in National Harbor, Maryland.[1][11]

References

1. Clabaugh, Jeff (2021-02-12). "MahoganyBooks will open 2nd location at National Harbor". WTOP. Archived from the original on 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
2. Vinopal, Courtney (2017-12-20). "Anacostia's First New Bookstore in 20 Years Hopes to Reflect the Diversity of Its Community". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
3. Green, Alex (November 13, 2017). "MahoganyBooks to Open in Washington D.C." Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
4. Overstreet, Jennifer (July 21, 2020). "How MahoganyBooks adapted to the pandemic and racial justice movement". National Retail Federation. Archived from the original on 2021-02-04. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
5. Beckham, Aja (January 25, 2020). "MahoganyBooks Is Accepting Submissions For A New Content Series Reflecting On 2020". DCist. Archived from the original on 2021-02-06. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
6. Song, Jean (June 25, 2020). "Bookstore owners urge readers to go "beyond the book" as anti-racist titles fly off shelves". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
7. Weir, Keziah (May 24, 2018). "This Trailblazing Black-Owned Bookstore Is Starting Conversations in D.C." Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
8. Randall, Kayla (2018-03-21). "MahoganyBooks, Anacostia's First New Bookstore in More Than 20 Years, Celebrates a New Chapter". Washington City Paper. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
9. Swalec, Andrea (February 10, 2018). "Black Bookstore Opens in Southeast DC 'Book Desert'". NBC4 Washington. Archived from the original on 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
10. Volou, Khalida; Leshan, Bruce (February 2, 2021). "Former President Barack Obama surprises members of local DC book club". WUSA9. Archived from the original on 2021-02-04. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
11. Henry, John (February 11, 2021). "Popular black-owned bookstore plans to open second DMV location". WUSA9. Archived from the original on 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2021-02-13.

External links

• Official website

38.866947°N 76.9887078°W / 38.866947; -76.9887078