Photo by L.G. Patterson

Prior to becoming the City of Refuge Director of Education, Candace Hulsizer had quite the resume of fulfilling careers: a local school teacher, a reading specialist and an adjunct professor at Mizzou’s College of Education. Her passion for literature and education led her through years of successful tenures in the community. Was she finally in her dream job?

When her brother made this assumption, Hulsizer thought for a moment. As a lifelong reader, she always wanted to open a bookstore. That was her dream. And as soon as she mentioned this to her husband, the dream became a reality.

“Black Tea Bookshop is a mission-driven, community-focused bookshop that celebrates the joy of Black lives through the work of Black authors and illustrators,” Hulsizer says.

After brainstorming business names, Hulsizer still struggled to find the perfect fit – until she was talking to a friend from work who came up with “Black Tea Bookshop.” “She said, ‘Well, you’re Black and you could be spilling the tea, so it could be Black Tea Bookshop,” Hulsizer says. “I thought she was joking, but I actually ended up loving it. I love tea and I think spilling the tea can be about connection, community and conversation, rather than gossip. So that was it.”

Hulsizer grew up with a natural love for reading and all things book-related. She explains that in life, people often have three primary places they go.“

Your first place is your home, then you have your work or school. And then there’s this third place that’s just like your cozy place,” she says. “The library was always that for me, whether that was our public library or school library, that was just a place where I found solace.”

Because of this, Hulsizer has made it a goal to create a welcoming environment at Black Tea Bookshop. “When people walk in, I want them to feel at home,” she says. “I want them to have that warm, cozy feeling of ‘this is my place.’ I want them to feel like they need to stay. And if they can’t stay, then they need to come back.”

Black Tea Bookshop is the only bookstore in Columbia with a curation of books that is written or illustrated solely by Black authors. “It’s hard to find a collection of books that feature black authors and I wanted to fill that gap,” she says. Eventually, she would like to expand to have featured collections of books from other authors of color.

One of the primary goals Hulsizer has for the bookshop is to help local readers broaden their horizons when selecting a book. “I want them to think about reading books by people that they haven’t heard about, or about experiences that they don’t have,” she says. “Black Tea Bookshop is all about representation. So people that look like me are seeing themselves positively and often represented in stories, while people who aren’t Black see some of the experiences of other folks… that we do read, we do write, we do all the things.”

Black Tea Bookshop celebrated its first year of business last month. Over the past year, the most rewarding part of owning a business for Hulsizer has been building bonds within the community. “It’s the weirdest thing to run into people in places and they’re like, ‘You own Black Tea Bookshop!’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s so crazy,’” she says. “I love that the stories are out there and people are reading more widely than they have before.”

Over the next few years ,Hulsizer is aiming to integrate more community partnerships, and eventually transition from the current incubator space at The Shops at Sharp End to a brick-and-mortar location. “I would love to have a small brick-and-mortar, around 900 square feet, that’s big enough to hold small events here and there,” she says. “It will be a place where people can come and cozy up with a cup of tea and a book. They can stay, study and read if they want, or they can grab a book and be on their way.”

Hulsizer says she will call 2025 a successful year based on the continued development of repeat and new customers. “I think the biggest goal is building our clientele of people that know about Black Tea Bookshop, people that are reading more about Black stories, Black lives and Black authors,” she says. “I’d also include finding new and creative ways to be out in the community and bring our community together around reading.”

To introduce a new customer to the atmosphere Black Tea Bookshop brings, as well as highlight Black authors featured in the store, Hulsizer recommends three books.

The first recommendation is “The ABCs of Black History” by Rio Cortez. “For each letter it tells you about some person, place or thing in Black history,” she says. “It’s beautifully illustrated and can be for adults and kids. I learned a lot from this book.”

Next on the list is “Bibliophile: Diverse Spines” by Jamise Harper and Jane Mount. “The thing I like about this book is that it’s a collection,” Hulsizer says. “Some people don’t know where to start, whether it be sci-fi, nature, travel, fantasy, whatever. This book is a really great compilation of all types of books under these various genres from authors of color. It’s a really cool resource.”

The final recommendation is a trilogy, starting with “Black Girls Must Die Exhausted” by Jayne Allen. “These are fiction books about the life of this young woman and all the different aspects of life, such as romance,” Hulsizer says. “I love how she actually deals with race relations in there too, without it being preachy.”

These recommendations as well as a wide selection of carefully curated books by Black authors are available for purchase at Black Tea Bookshop or online at blackteabookshop.com.