Previously, BLACK COMPANY reported that some black-owned bookstores saw sales surge earlier this year due to protests against racial injustice and police brutality. This week, a Colorado-based bookstore found a way to expand its business, making it the largest black-owned bookstore in the country.
The Denver, Colorado-based Tatter Cover was recently sold to local investors after a turbulent year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Denver-born Kwame Spearman and partner David Back worked with bookstore owners Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilliga to keep the bookstore in the community. Spearman will now take over the management of the 49-year-old company.
“The Tattered Cover and everything it embodies for us as Denver Indians – reading, learning, independent spirit, buying local, and most importantly, community and connection – are the ingredients that led us to this endeavor,” Spearman said in one Press release. “As we near Tattered Cover’s 50th anniversary, we are honored and excited to invest in this important community treasure and ensure it remains a part of the Colorado experience for generations to come.”
Vlahos says he was happy to work with Spearman and Back to keep the bookstore alive and grow for future generations. “When COVID hit in March and we shut everything down, we knew it was going to be financially devastating for business,” Vlahos told the Denver Post.
“And we were undercapitalized initially, so we looked for a cash infusion. By chance David got in touch … Since then, they have created their own bookstore course by researching the industry. “