Grassrootz Bookstore in Downtown Phoenix is more than a place to find rare reads. “Everything we do is rooted in community,” says co-founder Ali Nervis of the shop, which opened in 2019 and operates as a bookstore, co-working space, event center, community library and art gallery. It is also the only black-owned bookstore in Arizona. Right now, store manager Kylie Chamblee infuses tea with berries and citrus and sells it at the shop, but later this year, Grassrootz will also open a full juice bar.
“We exist to create a more enlightened society,” Nervis says of Grassrootz, which focuses on titles by BIPOC and local authors, with a special emphasis on books about social justice. “A lot of the challenges and situations that we see are because of the lack of connectedness because we don’t identify with each other,” he says. “Through education, enlightenment, conversation and community building, we hope to bring about a change – and not just in how we relate to each other, but how we connect and support one another.”
GRASSROOTZ BOOKSTORE
1145 E. Washington St., Phoenix
480-442-0293, grassrootzbookstore.com
CHUCK STYLES ARTWORK
$150
STRAWBERRY TART REFRESHER TEA
$6
JACKIE MUHAMMAD CUP
$21.50
THE HOOD HEALTH HANDBOOK VOL. 2
$19.95
THE HALF HAS NEVER BEEN TOLD
$21.99
SEA MOSS GEL Nutritional Supplement
$25
