When Nikki High opened Octavia’s Bookshelf in Pasadena in February of last year, she was looking to create a community space for Black, Indigenous and POC readers and writers.
Named after the famed science fiction writer Octavia Butler, who was born and raised in Pasadena, the bookstore quickly grew into a community space, particularly the local Black community.
High not only used the store as a space to explore books, but also as a place to host teach-ins, group discussions and children’s readings. But navigating the indie bookstore business is not an easy task.
According to High, even in the best of times, profit margins are razor thin, especially with books becoming a luxury good as prices continue to rise. High said that she had applied for and been denied multiple loans before finally turning to the community for support.
“Octavia’s Bookshelf is a place that is needed because it’s just a peaceful habitat, a place that we can go and get lost in the books.”
Rochele Jones
“Coming in under-resourced in the first place — I used my savings and did some crowdfunding to originally open — everything caught up to me,” High said. “We got in a very scary situation, which led me to reopen the GoFundMe this past Friday to ask my community for help.”
According to High, the outpouring of community support that has come in this past weekend “has been nothing short of a miracle.” Octavia’s Bookshelf has already been able to raise over $40,000 as of Tuesday.
“I have had incredible messages of support through DMs, emails, text messages,” High said. “And then the in-person support, customers coming in all weekend to not only shop, but to just be holding space with me, to reassure me that we’re going to get through this.”
Rochele Jones — who leads the Pasadena chapter of GirlTrek, a national organization dedicated to promoting Black women’s health and wellness — says that Octavia’s Bookshelf is like a home for her organization, where she is able to host events in a safe community space.
“African American women, we need an exit,” Jones said. “We have the weight of the world on our shoulders with racism, with all different kinds of things that happen amongst us and in our communities. Octavia’s Bookshelf is a place that is needed because it’s just a peaceful habitat, a place that we can go and get lost in the books.”
According to Jones, the community support that has poured into Octavia’s Bookshelf speaks to the need for a Black-owned bookstore in Pasadena.
“I’m also an author, and Nikki has opened the doors to allow me to do my book signing event there,” Jones said. “So it’s just one of those places that is a hub for the community.”
To maintain the financial longevity of her bookstore after a successful crowdfunding campaign, High plans to downsize the bookstore while growing her Patreon to help offset costs.
Looking ahead, Octavia’s Bookshelf plans to expand its community programming, hosting additional readings for children, as well as workshops on Black women’s health and well-being.
“We have a list of things that we want to continue to do, and we think that we are certainly making our way out of the woods now to ensure that we’ll be here for a long time,” High said.
