St. Paul’s trail-blazing Black-owned Black Garnet Books is for sale

A new chapter awaits for Black Garnet Books, which is believed to be one of only two Black-owned bookstores in Minnesota.

In a post on the store’s Instagram page, owner Dionne Sims revealed that she plans to sell Black Garnet, which opened in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood in 2022 with the help of a $100,000 Neighborhood STAR grant from the city.

“I feel so content with what I’ve built, and so grateful to the people who’ve built it with me. It’s with a heart filled to the brim with gratitude that I say I’m ready to pass this dream to the next person,” wrote Sims. “This bookstore has the foundation to continue for years to come, and I realized that’s what I wanted to accomplish.”

Sims, who founded Black Garnet in 2020 and operated as an online and pop-up shop before opening in St. Paul, wrote that she plans to go back to school to prepare for a writing career. Her Instagram post includes a pitch for a hoped-for future owner of the store.

“Black Garnet Books is a manifestation of so many things that are bigger than me,” wrote Sims, who has not responded to requests for comment. “Bigger than the very simple dream I had of making sure there’s always a Black-owned bookstore in my home of Minnesota, a dream I know is shared by so many people here.”