Tayari's Blog: D.C. Readers, You Can Stop Blaming Yourselves

Posted by TayariJones on January 24, 2008 09:01 PM
Filed under Current Events

There is an article in the Washington Post about the close of Karibu books. It wasn't because "black people don't read" or because of the Wal-Martization of America. The store is closing because the owners couldn't work out their differences. The whole sad story here.

Yes, it's a crying shame, but at the same time let's not come down to hard on Karibu owners, Simba and Yao. The real problem is that whole burden of selling books by and about black folks-- in "Chocolate City", no less-- was on the shoulders of these two brothers. That's a lot to carry around. Simba and Yao held it down for fifteen years; whatever went down in recent history can't change that.

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There are 2 comments on "D.C. Readers, You Can Stop Blaming Yourselves". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

Comment #1, by Jackie [TypeKey Profile Page]

And yet Mr. Barnes and Mr. Noble became famous. Did they have petty squabbles? Possibly. It is disappointing that a difference of opinion in the direction of the business has to result in the dissolution of the business and the upset of the community that depended on it to support our authors. As much as mainstream stores are willing to order whatever title you request, they will never have the esoteric stock on hand like Karibu. In fact they, the younguns who work the Info desk at the mainstream stores, are clueless about our authors...

I'm just saying.

January 25, 2008 10:06 AM

Comment #2, by kgs [TypeKey Profile Page]

For all the talk about this not being about finances, I think even long-time differences could have been surmounted in an earlier era. It's a hard business to begin with, and for all the romantic nature of bookstores, being able to get on the Web and buy what you want when you want it is extremely convenient. Though it's still sad when a bookstore closes!

January 26, 2008 08:29 AM

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