Iowa's New Black-Owned Bookstore

By Charity Nebbe,

Published September 2, 2020 at 4:32 PM CDT

My Respite is a painting by Shalaya Collard, daughter of Amber Collins, and it’s the logo for The Soul Book Nook.

Amber Collins grew up in Waterloo, but spent the important parts iof her childhood at an iconic book store: The Aquarian Bookshop in Los Angeles, CA.

When The Soul Book Nook on 4^th Street in Waterloo opens it will be Iowa’s newest independent bookstore as well as Iowa’s newest Black-owned business and, as far as Collins knows, the first Black-owned bookstore in the history of the state. Opening a business in the middle of a pandemic and an independent bookstore in the age of online retail may seem risky, but for Collins this is a dream that will no longer be deferred.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe speaks with Collins about her love of books and the grand opening of The Soul Book Nook on Saturday, September 5, 2020.

Guest:

· Amber Collins, owner, director of The Soul Book Nook