Black-owned children’s bookstore launches fundraiser to reopen in Raleigh
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Liberation Station plans 2026 reopening in Southeast Raleigh at Montague Plaza.
- The family-owned business lefts its downtown Raleigh spot after receiving threats.
- Bookstore fundraiser raised $20,000 in 3 days toward $60,000 reopening goal.
The family behind Liberation Station Bookstore, North Carolina’s first Black-owned children’s bookstore, is raising money to reopen in Raleigh.
Victoria Scott-Miller and Duane Miller opened their store in downtown Raleigh in 2023 but closed less than a year later after getting hate messages and death threats.
Now, Scott-Miller said they plan to re-open on Juneteenth in 2026 in Southeast Raleigh at Montague Plaza, a shopping center where every business is Black-owned.
“We are so glad to be back, and excited to bring this offering back to Raleigh where it belongs,” she said.
The shopping center is just a few hundred feet from a Raleigh Police Department precinct station, an additional selling point for Scott-Miller.
“That puts our community and our nervous systems at ease, being that they are so close and can respond to the calls, if necessary,” she said. “We have a high level of visibility for them to do their job as public servants and to be there to engage with us as community members and neighbors.”
The family started Liberation Station selling books from the trunk of a car in churches, alleys and school parking lots to give Black children a place where they could see themselves in literature. Every book at the bookstore is written by a Black author or Black illustrator.
This week the bookstore launched a $60,000 fundraiser, raising nearly $20,000 in three days. Plans for the new space include books for children ages 0 to 18, a Braille affirmation wall, sensory seating and accessibility-friendly layout, a hand-painted mural “honoring Black childhood” and an author’s corner for signings and interviews.
“This space will be a sanctuary where Black children are seen, affirmed and safe to explore who they are through story,” according to the fundraiser. “Every dollar you give helps us build this sanctuary — one that redefines what’s possible when we put care, creativity and culture first.”
Tabitha Brown, a North Carolina native who rose from social media fame to hosting a Food Network show and her own children’s show on YouTube, as well as writing two books, donated $10,000 to the fundraiser.
In 2024, Scott-Miller said her family intended to take its time finding a new location. They decided on Raleigh because they live in the city and understand what Southeast Raleigh means to the community.
“This is an extension of our home,” she said. “This is an extension of the community that we serve in, the ones who have continued to uplift us. And so Southeast Raleigh was an easy choice.”
The family is holding a community event for people to learn more about the future store’ from 2-4 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Richard B. Harrison Library, the first library in Raleigh to serve Black patrons.
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM.
