Liberation Station, North Carolina’s first Black-owned children’s bookstore, is set to reopen on Juneteenth 2026 after closing its downtown Raleigh location last year, WRAL News reports. In a time when books that share Black history and stories are being banned and silenced, this reopening feels like a powerful act of resistance and hope.
The bookstore’s founder, Victoria Scott-Miller, and her husband started out selling children’s books featuring kids of color from their car trunk and pop-up shops. They opened their first physical store in downtown Raleigh on Juneteenth 2023, but after facing persistent racism and threats, they made the difficult decision to close just one year later.
Now, Liberation Station is planning a comeback in Montague Plaza, a 15,000-square-foot space in southeast Raleigh dedicated to Black-owned businesses.
“Bookshelves are a form of protest and liberation and joy,” she said. “So, the fact that they get to see themselves in our store, on every single corner of our store, every shelf is dedicated to the experience of Black childhood,” Scott-Miller described in a GoFundMe.
As they prepare to reopen next June, Scott-Miller and her team are raising funds through a GoFundMe campaign and a community-supported Ko-Fi membership program. This support will help build long-term sustainability for a space that’s more than a business — it’s a home for stories, representation, and celebration.
Cover photo: North Carolina’s First Black-Owned Children’s Bookstore Set to Reopen in 2026 / Photo Credit: liberationstationbookstore