Brighton’s new bookshop for black authors is ‘changing the world, one book at a time’.

A bookshop for black authors has opened in Brighton following a successful crowdfunding campaign.
Afrori bookshop owner Carolynn Bain (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-211027-204546001Afrori bookshop owner Carolynn Bain (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-211027-204546001
Afrori bookshop owner Carolynn Bain (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-211027-204546001

A bookshop for black authors has opened in Brighton following a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Afrori Books in Kensington Street is now open for business after a crowdfunding campaign raised £12, 460 in just four weeks.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Founder Carolynn Bain started an online bookshop last year after George Floyd was murdered. She wanted to create a place where books by black authors could easily be found and to give them a platform that they did not seem to have in other book shops.

Afrori bookshop owner Carolynn Bain (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-211027-205718001Afrori bookshop owner Carolynn Bain (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-211027-205718001
Afrori bookshop owner Carolynn Bain (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-211027-205718001

Carolynn said: “I am completely blown away by the love the public has shown to our dream of making Brighton an anti-racist city. The night we hit the target I sobbed; I was so overwhelmed.”

The crowdfunding campaign attracted publicity on multiple news channels and was named a top ten start-up business watch by a national business website.

Afrori Books aims to be a community space drawing in authors and young creatives from all over Sussex and the country.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There are also plans for creative writing evenings, a book club, children’s story times, training to help teachers integrate diverse books into classrooms and much more.

Carolyn said she is e also committed to employing the unemployable on a fair wage and are seeking staff from marginalised groups who have found it difficult to find employment.

She said: “Changing the way people read is fundamental to affecting their outlook and reading habits for life, and it is through reading that we can have the greatest impact on attitudes to racism in the future. Afrori Books is changing the world, one book at a time.”