Black-Owned Bookstore In Hyde Park Creates Third Place For Community

Call & Response Books has been open since May 2024. It has books from Black authors and other authors of color. Photo provided by Courtney Bledsoe.
Call & Response Books has been open since May 2024. It has books from Black authors and other authors of color. Photo provided by Courtney Bledsoe.

Black-Owned Bookstore In Hyde Park Creates Third Place For Community

By Tia Carol Jones

Courtney Blesdoe opened Call & Response Books, located at 1390 E. Hyde Park Blvd. in May of  2024. Bledsoe, a lawyer turned bookseller, wanted to open Call & Response Books because she is an avid reader who loves amplifying, celebrating and reading books by and about Black people and other people of color. She said books written by and about Black people and other people of color reflects her own lived experience as a Black woman in this country. She said having a space that enables people to connect with each other, foster community, friendships and relationships is important to her.

Call & Response hosts author talks, friend mixers and reading parties, as well as hosting Tiny Shelf concerts. Bledsoe also wanted the bookstore to serve as a third place for people. The bookstore has books that are backlisted, published prior to this past publishing cycle and frontlist, books that will be published in the next month or two. Bledsoe said the team at Call & Response looks at reviews of books and what people who come in ask for.

When the bookstore first opened, “An America Marriage” by Tayari Jones and Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin were on the shelves, as well as frontlist books that had just come out. As the bookstore continued into its first year in business, books on the shelves included books people would stop in and ask about, books that were being pre-ordered and what people in the publishing industry are talking about. Bledsoe said they use pre-orders as a measure of what people might want to see on the shelves.

“It is a lot of listening to what people are interested in here, and then seeing the purchasing trends,” she said.

Bledsoe said when it comes to what books are available, she takes into consideration what people in the community are reading, what the children are reading. She said graphic novels have become very popular recently. She said they are an accessible entry point into reading.

Bledsoe said that bookselling is particular, because the distribution channels and the margins are very different from other retailers. She has learned to wear many different hats at once. She is the event planner, orders the books, manages relationships with publishers. She said it has been a learning process, and it has been helpful to have the support of other Black booksellers, in Chicago and across the country to lean on, which she has been very grateful for. She said having that support network has been crucial.

Call & Response has books by Black authors and other authors of color. Bledsoe said it has been cool to see people’s responses to books by authors from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. She said people who come in have emotional responses to seeing people who look like them on the cover of a book with similar names to them. She said there was a woman who came into the bookstore who was so moved being surrounded by such an array of books that, she cried.

“Having parents of small kids come in and saying I’ve never seen a book with my kids name in it before, that’s been really touching to be able to experience,” she said. She added that in Illinois there is not the same level of book banning that goes on in other places, because of policies.

Bledsoe said that owning a Black bookstore combats a lot of systemic racism. While publishing has historically had a lot of issues with discrimination and racism. She said that is why a bookstore like Call & Response is so necessary. It is the place where the stories of people who have historically been pushed out of publishing and traditional bookstores can have a home and the people who want to read those stories can find them.

Bledsoe said being able to amplify the stories and center Black authors and authors of color has been incredible. She said the response has been great and it has been great to see Call & Response turn into a community space. She said it has been amazing to connect with local authors, educators and people who want to get back into their love of reading. Bledsoe said people can support Call & Response by signing up for their newsletter and showing up to the events they host.

For more information about Call & Response Books, visit www.callandresponsechi.com, call 773-217-8565, or email info@callandresponsechi.com.


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