Why was your bookstore founded/what role does it play in the community?

In 2018 my first book was published, The Gift of Crisis: How I Used Meditation to Go from Financial Failure to a Life of Purpose. Between the book’s publication and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, I was trying to get my foot in the door with appearances at book festivals and on author panels, mostly unsuccessfully. Then the shutdown took place, in-person book events were canceled and I had some time to sit and think.

It occurred to me that my love of books and passion for sharing information about books was always at the forefront of what I’m doing, and that opening a bookstore of my own would give me a space to host authors I’ve met and tell people about wonderful books they may not know about. I continued to vacillate on the idea, until the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 provided a devastating reminder that life is so fleeting, and you need to use your time doing what you love and what calls to you.

I decided to not waste any more time waiting for a door to open and started working toward making my bookstore a reality. Initially, I planned to have a bricks-and-mortar store, but at that point in the pandemic, that was not happening. In-person events were still on hold, which precluded doing pop-ups, so I launched Little Visioneers as an online store. The name comes from the fact that we all have little visions for ourselves, our lives, our communities and the world at large, and little visions are the small beginnings from which great things can come.

What makes your bookstore unique?

Little Visioneers is a Black-owned, woman-owned online independent bookstore with pop-up locations throughout Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange County. Our goal is to provide immediate access to books by women to inspire community, collaboration, creativity, and love. Little Visioneers offers a wide variety of diverse curated books and handmade gift items in support of women entrepreneurs.

What is something that no one knows about your bookstore?

Our logo represents everyone, not just us. It represents the vibrant energy and creative potential housed within each of us that is shared through books, handmade art, or whichever form of creative expression calls to you. Little visions are the small beginnings from which great things can come.