From Tiny Classified Ad to Community and Cultural Center in Fort Worth

In 1992, Sonia Williams-Babers entered the world of bookselling with "the smallest ad available" in the June issue of Black Enterprise magazine. The ad read "Get Hooked on Black Books -- send $1 for a catalogue." On returning home to Fort Worth, Texas, from Anaheim, California, and their first ABA Convention, Williams-Babers and her husband and business partner, Elvis Babers, found an overflowing post office box.

Now, 10 years later, Williams-Babers, along with her parents and her husband, runs The Black Bookworm in Fort Worth, a 2,000-square-foot store stocked with all books of interest to African Americans, including sections for health, religion, business, computers, and education. The Children's Corner has heavy traffic, especially when one of the store's three children's book clubs meets. Most popular is the Cheetah Girls book club, in which 86 girls, ages eight to 12, discuss the popular series by Deborah Gregory (Hyperion).

More than 20 boys of the same age read the Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs series (by Sharon Draper, Just Us Books), and a co-ed group of two- to six-year-olds listens to the instructive tales of Little Bill, created by Bill Cosby (various publishers). Williams-Babers says she "feels blessed to see my childhood dream [of owning a bookstore where African-American children can see themselves reflected back from the books they read] come true."

Women of all ages participate in yet another book club and read both fiction and nonfiction.

"When I was four-years-old, I told my parents I wanted to open a bookstore. I talked about this all my life: through elementary school-high school-college-career," Williams-Barber told BTW. She originally planned to start her store "during my retirement years." But the immediate success of her mail-order business accelerated her entrance into retail by some 35 years.

Since opening a retail location in August of 1993, Williams-Babers has expanded in many ways. Four years ago she moved the store to a new location, doubling the space. She has increased sidelines, including "Greek" paraphernalia for sorority and fraternity members, African masks, candles, and artwork. With competition from two new Barnes & Noble stores within a few miles, the diverse retail mix, along with book signings by bestselling African-American authors, and strong community ties, help to distinguish The Black Bookworm from any competitors.

Williams-Babers is delighted to tell her customers that she now has "opened up a second store," via BookSense.com. "I have a big sign in the window, and I tell everyone to shop online, we're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.theblackbookworm.com. It makes us so happy that we've got that web presence just like the big guys."

-- Nomi Schwartz