Black-Owned Bookstore, Wine Bar Project Advances

Cetonia Weston-Roy‘s vision of creating a bookstore and wine bar is quickly approaching reality.

On Tuesday morning, the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee unanimously endorsed selling the vacant two-story building at 1937-1939 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. to Weston-Roy for $50,000.

“I have been going towards this bookstore since about 2019,” said Weston-Roy. She started with a mobile operation – a tabletop display built into a bicycle.

Her pitch is simple “Black books, red wine.” The business, intended as a family-friendly community hub, would also offer light snacks, coffee and tea. Its book selection would be centered on Black authors.

The facility is expected to cost $162,000 to build out according to a Department of City Development (DCD) report.

DCD selected her proposal from 13 bids.

“This is really an exciting thing for King Drive,” said DCD real estate services manager Amy Turim. “This would be bringing a Black-owned bookstore back to King Drive.”

Reader’s Choice, 1950 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., closed in 2017 after 30 years in business.

“It was hard to see them leave, but it’s so great to see a bookstore returning,” said area Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs. “We look forward to the Niche Book Bar being just another great amenity on King Drive.”

DCD selected Weston-Roy’s offer from 13 bids. The Bronzeville Advisory Committee unanimously endorsed the proposal in August and Weston-Roy has been working to solidify her plan, financing and design since.

The sale agreement requires her to complete the redevelopment project by September 2023.

The full council is scheduled to consider the proposal on March 22.

Built in 1895, the brick building contains 2,640 square feet of space. The city acquired the property in November 2019 through property tax foreclosure. It was the second time the city took over the building through a property tax foreclosure from the same owner.

A historic use report from DCD indicates the building’s first floor has been host to a wide variety of uses. It was home to a radio shop in 1935, a restaurant in 1948, a soap company in 1955, a church in 1965 and a men’s clothing store in 2005. Most recently it was used as an office, but has been vacant since 2016. Today it is largely stripped to the studs.

The second floor contains an apartment with multiple levels.

Weston-Roy has won multiple grants from LISC Milwaukee‘s Brew City Match program. She received Business Planning Track support as part of the first cohort in October 2019 and completed a business-planning course through the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation in fall 2019. In summer 2020 she was announced as a Space Track winner and later a Cash Track winner to fund startup costs.

The development would not be the only Black-owned bookstore in Milwaukee. Rooted MKE, a children’s bookstore at 5312 W. Vliet St. opened last week. Darick Books, 2877 N. 76th St., opened in 2020 and sells more than 100 books authored by Darick Spencer.

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