His efforts haven’t always been welcomed by the surrounding community, he said. He’s experienced verbal pushback in phone calls and even vandalism.
“I’ve had a phone call with somebody saying that, ‘What if white people opened up their own bookstore?’ And I told them, I said ‘Well you do. Borders, Barnes and Noble, right?” he said. “I’m a book person, so when you go into these places, the bookstores are 90% white, maybe even higher, right? So you go to the Black section of the African American section, it’s very small. So I tell people, I streamline their search.”
But, Muhammad also sees more customers excited to experience the store, which, especially for the Black community, provides “a sense of belonging, a sense of comfort.”
“Everybody should have that, right?” he said.
For Muhammad, the monthly bazaar he hosts is an important way to highlight Black entrepreneurs in the area.
“There are a tremendous amount of Black-owned businesses in this area. A lot of them are not brick and mortar, so they need a place for people to see their wares,” he said.
Tina Jackson, who lives in nearby North Wales, had a table at Saturday’s bazaar for her photography business, Pixs by Tina and Flawless Photos Photo Booth. She first met Muhammad several years ago, she said, and has been coming by the bookstore ever since to learn from him and other community members.
“This is a source where you can come and you can find out, you can ask questions, and he doesn’t judge,” Jackson said. “He doesn’t make you feel bad for not knowing.”
For example, Jackson said, she was able to ask Muhammad about why he says “great day” rather than “good morning,” because the “good morning” phrase has roots in the tragic history of slavery.
Jackson said having a place such as The Black Reserve Bookstore in her neighborhood, which lacks diversity, has been important.
