A Black-woman-owned bookstore in Califonia focuses on a few things: good vibes, Black joy, and all things literary.
With the tagline “curated by Blackness,” Reparations Club in Los Angeles is known for its welcoming atmosphere and the ample books available inside the space.
Owner, Jazzi McGilbet, 35, told Travel Noire that her space has “familial vibes,” and is “very lighthearted, very literary, and very black.” McGilbert categorizes Reparations Club as a “concept bookshop and creative space” with limitless possibilities for the creative community and something for every literary flavor.
Opening the Space
McGilbert, who was born and raised in L.A., opened the space in 2019, following the passing her of mother the year prior, but said she never really planned to open a bookstore.
“I don’t think I thought [opening a bookstore] was something I could do,” the former fashion industry professional recalled.
She said that though she had always been a lover of reading, a bookstore wasn’t something she ever considered.
“I was always a book kid…[but] I didn’t know anyone, not personally, who just owned a bookstore,” she told Travel Noire.
But McGilbert said years of working in the fashion industry and creative direction had begun to make her feel burned out. Losing her mother affected her in ways she said she couldn’t put into words, but did say that it left her “very vulnerable” and in a “sort of child-like state” that made her yearn for her community.
So she returned to what she called her “two first loves,” books and Black people.
Inside Reparations Club
McGilbert leased the space that became Repartions Club and started by filling it with what represented Blackness for her: warmth, nostalgia, color, and lots of Black authors. Inside, the bookshop is designed to feel like a “very cool friend’s living room” and features lots of texture, art, soft seating, and space that fosters connection.
“I just wanted a space for us to gather…books were a really natural entry point for that,” she said.
Most books at Reparations Club are predominately by Black authors and include all types of books, from art books to fiction, nonfiction, and everything in between.
“We’re a general interest bookstore because Black people have a whole lot of interests.”
And as a queer-Black-woman-owned business, the shelves are intentional about making space for “many, many types of Blackness” and the stories that represent them. McGilbert said the name means different things to different people. Still, it generally represents her belief in the concept of reparations and serves as a calling card for people to feel welcome into the space.
Beyond books, Reparations Club also hosts several events, including author talks, community conversations, and special events, like its Saturday Morning Cartoons event. Saturday Morning Cartoons happens on specific dates and welcomes the community into what McGilbert described as a safe space to kick back with a bowl of cereal and watch cartoons.
Perhaps the most nostalgic of experiences, the daytime offers similar joy to the adults and children who attend. In the past, she said, the bookstore has collaborated with a Black-owned cereal brand and a Black-owned oat milk company to make the relaxed, come-as-you-are event happen.
“People roll up in the mornings, and kids and adults are having just as much fun together…people just post up on the couch and just watch cartoons. It’s really wholesome.”
What’s Next
In the future, McGilbert hopes to continue curating a space people can feel connected to, that keeps Black joy at the center and always makes room for the Black literary experience.
From listening to her customers, many of whom she said feel like family, there’s a desire for Reparations to expand. Because of this, she’s considering what “a little more time and a little more space” might look like. One day, she said, there could even be a publishing arm of the business.
However, one thing is certain: “[Reparations Club will] take up as much as for as long as we can.”