Afrori Books

Afrori Books is an award-winning independent bookshop and social enterprise based in Brighton, England, dedicated to selling books by Black authors. It was founded by Carolynn Bain, who was frustrated by the small 'BAME' sections she encountered in general bookstores and by how difficult it was to find and get recommendations for books by Black writers across the genres she enjoyed. Afrori was created to give Black authors a dedicated platform and a much larger, curated selection than mainstream shops typically offered. The business operates both online and through a physical shop. It opened its bricks-and-mortar store in October 2021 and in April 2023 moved to a new home in the Brighthelm Centre in Brighton. The shop combines a curated book selection with a café-style space offering reasonably priced tea, coffee and sometimes cake, described as a safe space for readers and writers. Online, Afrori partners with a major national book wholesaler to offer one of the largest selections of books by Black authors in one place, spanning genres and generations. Beyond retail, Afrori Books describes itself as a social enterprise meeting community needs. Its activities include anti-racism training for adults, anti-racist clubs in schools across Sussex, hair workshops, author events and a women's singing group. It also runs a Book of the Month feature; one highlighted title was Dr Jason Arday's 'Great and Unfortunate Things'. The shop positions itself as 'The Home Of Black Authors' and as a welcoming hub for readers and writers alike. Afrori Books is a private, founder-owned business. It has received recognition as an award-winning bookshop, though the specific awards are not detailed in the available evidence. Its catalogue includes titles such as Chris Smalls's 'When the Revolution Comes: A Story About Capitalism' and Jason Arday's memoir, reflecting a focus on Black voices, activism and contemporary non-fiction alongside fiction and other genres.

Afrori Books was born from founder Carolynn Bain's frustration with the way Black authors were treated in mainstream bookshops. As she explained in the shop's About Us page, she was tired of having to search for ages to find the tiny 'BAME' section allocated to Black authors, and she found it hard to discover all the genres she liked and impossible to get personal recommendations for those books. She also noted that it is hard to become an author and even harder to be a Black author. Rather than accept this, Bain and her team set out to build something different. They asked whether they could partner with the biggest book wholesaler in the country, build a site and platform to sell Black authors' books at reasonable prices, and assemble a team to spend months searching for books by Black authors in every possible genre. According to the About Us page, they did exactly that, creating a bookstore with the largest wholesaler in the country and offering one of the biggest selections of books by Black authors in one place. The business opened its bricks-and-mortar shop in October 2021. In April 2023 it moved to its current home in the Brighthelm Centre in Brighton, described as a beautiful location with an incredible selection of the books available online. The physical shop was designed as a place to browse, have a reasonably priced tea or coffee and sometimes cake, and relax in a safe space. Afrori Books presents itself as more than a bookshop: it is a social enterprise meeting community needs. Its programmes include anti-racism training for adults, anti-racist clubs in schools across Sussex, hair workshops, author events and a women's singing group. The shop also runs a Book of the Month feature; one highlighted title was Dr Jason Arday's 'Great and Unfortunate Things', which the founder discussed in a personal note on the homepage. The shop describes itself as 'The Home Of Black Authors' and as an award-winning bookshop. Its online catalogue includes titles such as Chris Smalls's 'When the Revolution Comes: A Story About Capitalism' and Jason Arday's memoir, reflecting a focus on Black voices, activism and contemporary non-fiction. Afrori Books remains a private, founder-owned business operating in Brighton and online across the United Kingdom.

• 2023

  Moved to new home in The Brighthelm Centre in April 2023.

• 2021

  Opened bricks-and-mortar bookshop in October 2021.

Award-winning specialist bookshop and social enterprise positioning itself as 'The Home Of Black Authors', offering a welcoming, curated space and community programmes.

• Great and Unfortunate Things by Jason Arday

• When the Revolution Comes: A Story About Capitalism by Chris Smalls

• Original Flava, Easy Caribbean: 80 quick and easy recipes

1. 1Afrori Books | Books by Black Authorsafroribooks.co.uk
2. 2About Us | Afrori Books LTDafroribooks.co.uk
3. 3When the Revolution Comes : A Story About Capitalism by Chris Smalls | Afrori Books LTDafroribooks.co.uk
4. 4Great and Unfortunate Things by Jason Arday | Afrori Books LTDafroribooks.co.uk
5. 5Afrori Bookswikidata.org