Despite Barriers, Black-Owned Bookstores Continue Their Legacy of Educating Communities | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

"Marshall's Music and Bookstore, the oldest operating Black-owned bookstore in the United States, has been in her family for decades. The bookstore, originally founded in 1938, was purchased by Primm's grandmother, a college-educated woman who was the first in her family to be born outside of slavery."

"Located in Jackson, MS, often referred to as the "Blackest City in America," Marshall's is situated within the historic Farish Street district. This downtown neighborhood was once a hub for Black businesses and offered refuge to Black Mississippians during the Jim Crow period until the 1970s, when businesses in the district began to decline."

""Everybody convened on Farish Street. It provided a life," Primm told NPQ. "You could have fun. You could visit a doctor. You could come to the bookstore and be educated. It was difficult to have books. You couldn't go to a White library and take out books, or even touch them, or even sit there.""

"Though many of the businesses are no longer in existence, Marshall's remains, and Primm attributes its longevity largely to the longtime support of customers. She says that there are customers who came to the bookstore as children with their grandparents, who now bring their own grandchildren to the store."

Marshall’s Music and Bookstore, the oldest operating Black-owned bookstore in the United States, has been in the Primm family for decades. Founded in 1938 and purchased by Primm’s grandmother, it sits in Jackson, Mississippi’s historic Farish Street district, once a hub for Black businesses and refuge during Jim Crow. Farish Street offered community life where Black residents could gather, visit services, and access books, unlike elsewhere in the city where segregation and intimidation limited public presence. Marshall’s longevity is attributed to longtime customer support, including families who return across generations. Primm observed how the district thrived despite ongoing racism and terrorism, and she later bought the store without initially planning to remain in Mississippi.

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