POS: How did you start? Did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
JW: From childhood, I knew that something was missing. I grew up in Georgia, and I remember feeling invisible. In other words, I did not see anybody in books that looked like me. From childhood, I wanted to research and embrace who I was. The love of books and Black history began as a child. I came to NY, and left behind that era of segregation. There were no bookstores in the area I moved to, so I decided to open one. The focus would be books written by African-American authors, and the store would have general books as well.
POS: How did you go about financing the business?
JW: I took a lot of my personal income and personal savings. Many renovations were needed, and I began the work by inviting friends and family to volunteer. On January 1st, 2000, we became Sisters Uptown Bookstore LLC. I have been on this mission for 13 years, and it is a labor of love for me.
POS: Do you have plans to expand the store?
JW: In 2007 we became a Cultural Center in addition to a bookstore. Currently, we are raising funds to build a lower level to the store. Raising the money for this takes time, and it has indeed been a long venture. The vision we have, is a home for the cultural center where we can have theater, art shows, and other types of events. We wish to build this institution further.
POS: What else do you want people to know about Sisters Uptown?
JW: Primarily, we want people to know of our presence. If they come, then they will keep coming. There is an energy here that you wont find in a lot of commercial spaces. The increased support will allow us to continue building and expanding, and there will be something for everyone.
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I want to say thank you to Janifer for taking the time out of her schedule to speak with us on the book industry, and her journey as an owner of one of the last Black centered bookstores in the Harlem area. Sisters Uptown Bookstore and Cultural Center is located on 156th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
