Originally,  it was a struggle to find a compliant book store. We had a month of futile phone calls and visits and we almost gave up. We finally got the inspiration we needed at the Brooklyn College Library, after a suggestion to check out the resource center by our professor. Surprisingly it was not the books at the library that helped us, but the librarians who gave us new ideas. After discussing our issues, we looked into a wider range of bookstores, and found the quite popular, Sister’s Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center. We called the store that night to see when we could come by to talk to the owner since we would be in Washington Heights that weekend. We were very excited about finally finding an incredible bookstore to work with.

The bookstore is not only used to sell books, but it has other products, a cafe, and it has become a community space for the demographic of the neighborhood. The owner, Janifer Wilson, made us feel very welcome to be part of the community and excited to learn more about the other people involved in keeping her bookstore thriving. Sister’s Uptown was so welcoming and open that we could not wait to come back to interview them after we met the manager and owner the first day. Sadly we were not always able to be there together at once, but we always had at least two people present. However, since Janifer agreed to be recorded during the interview we were all able to relive the experience. She was extremely kind and cooperative. She was easy to talk to and we appreciate her willingness to freely express her ideas with us. Also we were able to benefit from the fact that she has received a significant amount of press coverage, therefore we could build upon information that was already present on the internet.

It was refreshing to see that a bookstore can be more than just a simple vendor of books; that it can become a center of community and shared knowledge. It makes us think — what will happen with the continuing decline of bookstores, and how that lack of presence of both culture and knowledge will affect communities today? Hopefully, Sister’s Uptown will continue to stand strong and persist through the anit-book climate and maybe even inspire other independent entrepreneurs to begin their own business in their communities.
We sincerely appreciate Janifer Wilson and her employees time and help.  

-Alex, Alex, & Joe