by Jeroslyn JoVonn
February 12, 2025
Sadie’s Books and Drinks, is the primary Black-owned bookstore in Orange County, New York.
The primary Black-owned bookstore in Orange County, New York, is greater than only a house for e book lovers—it has developed right into a vibrant group hub for professionals, college students, and people in quest of inspiration and tranquility.
Launched in 2022, Sadie’s Books and Drinks has rapidly grow to be a protected house for group members in Orange County, situated in southeastern New York, and past. Frequent guests embody entrepreneurs, authors, and even psychological well being specialists.
“Sadie’s is like grandma’s arms,” frequent customer Cecilia Calloway instructed Information 12 Brooklyn.
Sadie’s strives to supply greater than books and associated gadgets.
“We name ourselves a ‘bookseum,’” Sadie’s Books and Drinks proprietor Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams mentioned. “The true premise of opening and imaginative and prescient for the house was not simply reimaging a group heart however reimaging a classroom in an area that could possibly be a useful resource for the group.”
“It actually has been like an excessive ardour mission was a grassroots group motion,” she added.
Native entrepreneurs are ready to make use of Sadie’s as a platform to raise their companies, join with supporters, and have interaction with like-minded people.
“I’ve a web site however folks like to come back, and really feel and contact. It has been nice as a result of brick-and-mortar are actually arduous to amass and keep,” mentioned Patricia Davis, proprietor of Lolly’s Handmade.
“We even have a psychological well being workshop that we’re going to maintain on this house due to the texture of the house,” Stacy-Ann Bailey, the founding father of Your Energy LLC, mentioned.
Sadie’s has remodeled right into a thriving group hub, fostering lasting connections and bringing positivity to the Hudson Valley area.
“It retains us collectively, it retains us educated. You may be taught every thing just about about our personal tradition,” mentioned president of the NAACP Middletown department, Danielle Matthews.
With Sadie’s gaining recognition throughout Black Historical past Month, Whaley-Williams hopes her bookstore serves as a reminder that Black excellence and Black historical past matter greater than 28 days.
“Black historical past is a mindset and a way of life, not only a month so let’s embrace this vibe all yr lengthy,” she mentioned.
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