Award-winning Black bookshop faces "critical moment" to reach 1000 book sales goal
Afrori Books has just four days to reach its goal in order to keep its doors open.
Award-winning Black bookshop faces “critical moment” to reach 1000 book sales goal
Owner Carolynn Bain says Black authors face losing a platform.
STORY BY MELISSA SIGODO
APRIL 26, 2026
An award-winning bookshop specialising in books by Black authors is facing a “critical moment” to sell 1,000 books before the end of April - with only four days to go.
Following a campaign launched three weeks ago, Carolynn Bain, founder of Afrori Books hopes to reach the goal to prevent Black authors from losing a platform for their books.
The independent bookshop located in Brighton began online in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests which saw a huge demand for books by Black authors.
Since then, Afrori books has received several awards as well as being a finalist for British Bookshop of the Year every year since it opened its doors.
But now, the store faces a “critical moment” to remain open as Carolynn says it has experienced a decline in sales in the last six months as well as “rising costs” and a “challenging economic climate.”
Carolynn said: “I’m asking people to buy books, because I don’t want them to throw money at us and then forget us.
“Afrori is books on a shelf, but it’s also an opportunity to change the way people think - and to change the world. Books can do that and Black representation needs to be part of that.”
Afrori Books opened a physical shop in 2021 after a crowdfunding campaign which reached its target in just four weeks.
But Carolynn says she chose not to crowdfund this time around and is instead calling for customers to support her shop by purchasing books in order to prevent Black authors from ‘losing a platform.’
She said: “It’s so important that people can go online and find books where they can see themselves - or a wider world.
“If we close, thousands of Black authors lose a platform for their books…”
The campaign has received support from award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, best-selling author Kit de Waal and the UK’s first National Reading Hero, Selina Brown.
As well as authors, locals have stressed the importance of the shop to the community and those looking for a “safe space.”
The bookshop owner said: “Afrori isn’t just a bookshop - it’s a community.
“It’s the choir that meets here, the Black hair education workshops, the foster carers who visit for a cup of tea, and the people who come in looking for a safe space.
“All those people who find a sanctuary with us.”
For more information on how to support Afrori, click here.