Years ago in Akron, Rachel Cargle was a voracious reader who didn’t often see her experience mirrored back to her. Years later, when Rachel was living in Brooklyn and had gained a following through feminist activism, she knew that Akron needed a space where people like her, a Black, queer woman, could feel safe when meeting up and talking about their most recent read or favorite author.
This idea would help people learn from one another and build unity…
Finding Community through Diverse Stories
When Rachel was deciding where her bookshop was going to be located, it was really intentional that Akron was the location. Brooklyn and other parts of New York have dedicated bookshops that cater to niche audiences, but Akron never had something this robust that focused on the needs of queer, Black, and other marginalized groups–similar to the folks that Rachel didn’t see on the cover of books while growing up.
Then, she found The Well CDC.
Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre has been a bookshop in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood since September 2020. It has provided a space for marginalized communities to buy books, gather, and support other initiatives created by Rachel and her team.
Visit Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre!
Inside Compass, at The Well CDC,
647 E. Market St., Unit 3, Akron, Ohio 44304
Or shop online at Bookshop.org
Throughout the years, Elizabeth’s mission has been to allow people to gather in the space of diverse books and to support emerging writers of color, those with a disability, and also queer and trans writers.
“If a book is on these shelves, it’s because it amplifies the voice of a marginalized writer,” says September Howat, Director of Elizabeth’s. “You’re not only supporting a small business, but also helping revitalize Akron and the Middlebury neighborhood.”
More than a Bookstore
“Rachel always wanted this bookstore to not just be a bookstore, but a space for community,” explained Carrie George, manager of Elizabeth’s.
“Black-owned bookstores have a large history of building community because they were typically in places where–because of segregation–you couldn’t go to the regular library. If you were a Black person or a person of color, you would go to the Black-owned bookstore to get your book and also have a place to hang out and meet other people.”
Carrie adds, “You would feel safe in these spaces. And because of that, Elizabeth’s has kind of grown into a hub for hanging out with friends, reading, getting a coffee from Compass, or meeting with a group of people and writing some poetry.”
Building Community with a Book Fair
Everyday Akron quickly noticed the incredible community building around Elizabeth’s Bookshop, and we partnered with them in a unique way to continue their mission and bring people together.
At Everyday Akron, our focus is on building community through sharing unique perspectives, most often through slices of life on our @everydayakron Instagram page. EA believes that everyone has a unique story; and Elizabeth’s bookshop, in a similar vein, believes that there is much more that connects us than there is that pushes us apart.
One thing that connects many of us is the memory of hearing about the Scholastic Book Fair at school. The nostalgia that a lot of adults have for that day still rings true.
And so, when Everyday Akron reached out to Elizabeth’s Bookshop about a grown-up book fair, we knew that our shared missions could bring back that sense of delight, glee, and joy that washed over us when we went to that book fair.
Grown-Up Book Fair presented by Everyday Akron and Elizabeth’s Bookshop
When: Sat. October 14, 1-4 pm.
Where: BaseCamp at Towpath Tennis Center,
2108 Akron Peninsula Rd., Akron, Ohio 44313
Elizabeth’s Bookshop and Everyday Akron are hosting the Grown-Up Book Fair on Saturday, October 14, from 1-4 pm at Towpath Tennis Center’s newly remodeled BaseCamp event space.
There will be a variety of vendors alongside Everyday Akron and Elizabeth’s that will provide a similar landscape to the original Scholastic Book Fair feel. These local businesses include:
- Black Culture Candles
- P31 Art & Design
- Project Learn
- Street Craftery
- The Cheesecake Bar
- Le Reina Boricua
- The Juice Hive
- Bizzy Beads
- Akron-Summit County Public Library
- Plus, a retro school-photo selfie station!
Elizabeth’s will be selling their diverse range of books during the book fair. “We really want it to speak to the people who need to see these stories,” September says.
Rachel Cargle will be personalizing any book purchased at the book fair in an activity we’re all calling “Live Love Letters with Rachel”! Make sure to stop by, chat for a few minutes, and receive a handwritten note by the activist, author, and Elizabeth’s owner!
“That feels really special, and it’s something that people can look forward to again,” said September. “This might also be breaking news, but we really hope that everyone is in to do this on an annual basis!”
Be sure to RSVP to the Facebook Event page or Eventbrite page to get updates.
More About Rachel Cargle & Elizabeth’s Bookshop
“Elizabeth’s is an ecosystem of Rachel’s different entrepreneurial avenues and educational opportunities for followers and supporters,” explained September.
“Elizabeth’s Bookshop is not Rachel’s first endeavor, nor is it the only community-based project she has created. Rachel gained a following after an image of herself went viral at the 2017 Women’s March. She wanted to use that momentum to be productive, so she created The Great Unlearn, a self-guided course that allowed her audience to learn from her expertise. Each month, her audience would unlearn whitewashed American history as part of the webinar and could in turn contribute to Rachel’s creation of The Loveland Foundation.”
September continued, “The Loveland Foundation provides free therapy to Black women and girls and those on the gender expansive spectrum. A purchase at the bookstore in Akron or online via Bookshop.org helps contribute to the Loveland Foundation–and will on the day of the Grown Up Book Fair as well.”
Elizabeth’s hosts a variety of poetry workshops, queer reader meetups, BIPOC reader meetups, and more. Be sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook, sign up for their newsletter on the Elizabeth’s website.
To keep up with Rachel Cargle, follow her on Instagram or head to her website.
Written by Megan Delong | Photos courtesy of Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre
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