I had my first experience at a Black owned bookstore recently and let me just start by saying WOW. I wasn’t in the store for a full five minutes before I found myself just standing there looking around in awe. Everyone’s place is a hidden gem tucked away on North Avenue with an abundance of treasures to offer.
As soon as I entered the store I quickly noticed how everyone was interacting with each other, all conversations started with “brother” or “sister.” None of these interactions seemed forced at all which I’m not used to. Everyone genuinely had this sense of togetherness and that alone left me feeling so full. As I stood there I began looking around at all the beautiful artwork and black history posters displayed on the wall allowing myself for a minute to get lost in history.
From your daily essential oils to multivitamins the bookstore serves as a marketplace not only for the community but also for the soul. Recently I’ve been interested in learning more about healing crystals and to my surprise Everyone’s place had a wide variety of them. For those who aren’t as experienced with them like me, they have a chart which walks you through the different meanings of each crystal. If you’re interested in having more control over your aura, Everyone’s place offers pre-made sage bundles to aid in cleansing your space and energy. The culture displayed in the store alone is enough to have you riding on cloud 9 for the rest of your day. From the African fabrics to the beautiful elephant sculptures I left the bookstore feeling inspired. I literally felt like something had been awakened in me. A deep sense of pride and love for my people and a hunger for more which I felt like I desperately needed feed.
There are two floors in Everyone’s place and the second floor is everything you could possibly ask for in a book collection. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I probably browsed the collection for a little over 20 minutes before I could finally narrow down my selections to 2 books, and I ended up getting them both because I couldn’t decide haha I made a promise to myself in the middle of browsing that I would commit to coming back at least once a month and buying a book or two.
If you're in the area stopping by Everyone's Place is an absolute MUST. Until next time Curl Queens <3