Liberation Station Bookstore, a Black-owned children’s bookstore, to open in Raleigh, N.C.

The owner of the nationally-recognized pop-up bookstore has launched a fundraising campaign to support the Juneteenth grand opening of a brick-and-mortar location.

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 4, 2023) — Children’s book author and pop-up bookstore owner Victoria Scott-Miller is opening a brick-and-mortar location of her nationally-known Liberation Station Bookstore in downtown Raleigh, N.C. this summer. 

This Black-owned, family-led independent bookstore was inspired by her family’s struggle to find children’s books by Black authors or Black illustrators that featured characters of color. That experience led Scott-Miller, her husband, Duane Miller, and her sons, Langston and Emerson, to start Liberation Station Bookstore in 2019 as a pop-up shop specializing in children’s literature that centers on Black children and families. Their efforts garnered national attention from “Good Morning America,” CNN, The Washington Post, Oprah Magazine and other news outlets. 

Scott-Miller, an award-winning Raleigh-based entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, author and creator of “The Museum Lives in Me” book series, is now opening a permanent location for the bookstore on the second floor of 208 Fayetteville St. (The Original Selfie Museum is in the basement of the same building.) The bookstore will join a cluster of black-owned businesses near Raleigh’s historic Black Main Street. A grand opening celebration is set for June 17, 2023 during the city’s Juneteenth festivities. On April 4, 2023, Scott-Miller launched a crowdfunding campaign via The Bulls of Durham. Contributions can be made at https://thebullsofdurham.com/campaigns/liberation-stationed

“This is our love letter to the city of Raleigh,” Scott-Miller said. “It’s time to plant ourselves. When I think about our work, I think about a tree. We’ve done all this work. We’ve had all this reach but it’s been from the top down. We haven’t been able to physically plant ourselves. Now we get to create a unique cultural hub that is a community-centered, community-driven space for self-discovery and the activation of our work.”

The 364-square foot space will carry more than 1,000 titles, divided into four curated sections: 

• The Diaspora Wall will feature works that follow the voyage of the Transatlantic Map, including from Sierra Leone, Angola, Brazil, The West Indies and more. 
• The America section will include books that reflect the vastness of Black childhood from birth to 18-years-old with an emphasis on those titles written by Black creators or independent and local authors and published by Black-owned or Black-led publishers and small presses. 
• AP African American Studies will feature titles that have been banned from school curriculums or have been recommended by Black AP African American Studies educators throughout the country. Examples include James Baldwin's "Go Tell it on the Mountain," and Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" and "Beloved."
• The Anchor section will offer pairings of adult titles with children’s books to foster intergenerational conversations. For example, author Bell Hooks’ children’s book, “Homemade Love” will be offered as a companion title to Hooks’ classic, “All About Love,” the first volume in her "Love Song to the Nation" trilogy; and Nicole Hannah-Jones’ groundbreaking “The 1619 Project” will be paired with her children’s book, “Born on the Water.”

Liberation Station Bookstore will be open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday at 208 Fayetteville St., Suite 201, Raleigh, N.C. 27601. For updates, follow on Instagram, @liberationstationbookstore or visit liberationstationbookstore.com. 

For images of Victoria Scott-Miller and her family, go to: bit.ly/LiberationStation. 

Media contact: 

Andrea Weigl

Weigl Communications

919-518-7679

andrea.weigl@gmail.com

About Victoria Scott-Miller: Victoria Scott-Miller is an award-winning Raleigh-based entrepreneur, documentarian, author, creator of “The Museum Lives in Me” book series and owner of the trailblazing, independent, globally-recognized Liberation Station Bookstore, specializing in children’s literature. In 2021, she was inducted as the youngest and first African American woman into the Wake County Public School Hall of Fame in the category of Entrepreneurship. In 2022, Scott-Miller was commissioned by the North Carolina Museum of Art to serve as author and creative director for her debut series, “The Museum Lives in Me.” She was the first African American to have such a commission in the museum’s history. Her children’s book is now in every public elementary school and N.C. Cardinal library in the state. Following its success, she signed a multi-book deal to expand her series to museums across the country with Paw Prints Publishing, an imprint of Baker & Taylor. Scott-Miller is represented by Serendipty Literary Agency. She lives in Raleigh, N.C. with her husband, Duane Miller, and two sons, Langston and Emerson. Info: victoriascottmiller.com. 

About Liberation Station Bookstore: In 2019, Victoria Scott-Miller and her eldest son, Langston, struggled to find children’s books by Black authors or Black illustrators that featured characters of color. That experience led the Raleigh, N.C. family to spend $200 to buy 113 books by black authors or illustrators to start Liberation Station Bookstore as a pop-up shop specializing in children’s literature that centers on Black children and families. Victoria Scott-Miller, her husband, Duane Miller, and sons, Langston and Emerson, sold books at events throughout North Carolina. During the pandemic, the family shifted to online orders, local book deliveries and virtual story-telling events. They also installed Black Lit Libraries, small, permanent book collections at local community businesses, the Sarah P. Duke Gardens and The Durham hotel. The bookstore has been spotlighted in numerous media outlets, including “Good Morning America,” CNN, The Washington Post, Oprah Magazine, The Daily Beast, WRAL, WTVD, Walter Magazine, Indy Week and more. In summer 2023, Liberation Station Bookstore will open at 208 Fayetteville St., Suite 201, Raleigh, N.C. 27601. Hours will be from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Info: liberationstationbookstore.com.