New Bookstore Tailored For Children of Color

Ashley Valentine told her graduate school adviser at UW-Milwaukee that she didn’t want to be a teacher. It was a confession that resulted in a puzzled look from the adviser — after all, it’s what she was studying.

“I felt like I could make more changes in kids’ lives if I just dealt with the root causes of the issues kids were facing in school,” Valentine said.

Her solution: A bookstore that stocks its shelves with pages filled with the art and words of Black and Brown storytellers while also offering tutoring and hands-on learning services on the side.

Rooted MKE is located at 5312 W. Vliet St., across the street from the MPS district offices. The shop officially opened in March and celebrated with a Grand Opening. The goal, according to Valentine, who owns the business, is to help children experience literature in an environment that they feel comfortable in.

“There is a space for literacy outside of school that can be just as beneficial,” Valentine said. “I wanted to create a safer space for kids who have faced academic challenges or have not had a good relationship with school.”

A main part of Valentine’s graduate thesis project was taking a look at what reading looked like in Black households outside of school — focusing on how children in those families learn and experience reading outside of an academic setting.

“I was finding out that even though the assumption was that Black and Brown kids were not reading, it was happening in the car — looking at street signs or billboards and looking at a menu in a restaurant,” Valentine said. “Kids are reading, it just doesn’t look like 20 minutes of drop everything and read.”

Part of what sets Rooted MKE apart from other bookstores is its on-the-spot reading assessments. Parents who might not know what reading level their children are at can receive a suggested list of titles that fall within their assessed level. Eventually, Valentine also aims to incorporate conversation cards into the learning experience — where families will receive guidance on how to discuss the themes and vocabulary of the books that their children are reading.

Rooted MKE offers free hour-long consultations, where Valentine explores the child’s base-line reading or other areas of concern.

“I ask, ‘How do you feel about school? What’s the best part of your day?’ I don’t focus just on the academics but also try to make a connection,” Valentine said.

In the beginning, Valentine was the only tutor — working with children seven days a week and often staying at the shop until 7:30 p.m. But the business is quickly growing, and Valentine is in the process of hiring extra help. She said her schedule has been “jam-packed,” and that the response to the store has been well-received, which is good for business. But what’s even more important to Valentine, is that it’s good for the kids.

“(As a kid), books were how I connected to what I thought I wanted to be like,” Valentine said. “I don’t want kids to have to scour shelves (to find representation) — that’s really important to me.”

Rooted MKE