Events and emails have helped eso won books stay open for nearly three. Black books in the age of the coronavirus is the first of several conversations designed to support and uplift the black book ecosystem. Located in historic leimert park, eso won books is a mindexpanding, friendly place, loaded with works from every genre and with books you didnt know existed until you walked in. Black books in the age of the coronavirus is the first of several conversations designed. So, tina, youve got a great start as a firsttime writer. Eso won books hosted barack obama twicebefore he was president. An intimate portrait little, brown and company bolstered sales for the holiday season in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Booksignings there by former president bill clinton and nfl player jerry rice drew scores to the village from throughout the city who shopped at nearby boutiques and ate at local eateries. Eso won books in leimert park has been taking online orders for weeks, and owner james fugate wasnt sure whether hed see an immediate difference in sales after local officials announced that. Coowners james fugate and thomas hamilton answer our questions below.
Fugate has been saying ever since, that what the block needs is a critical mass of businesses that can fill the many empty storefronts and keep regular hours. With all future eso won founders working fulltime jobs, fugate didnt think running an independent bookstore was feasible. Eso won books is a beloved blackowned bookstore in south. In years past, said fugate, the release of michelle obamas becoming and pete souzas obama. Originally known as eso won books on wheels, james fugate, along. His social vision and political ethics calls for putting the abolition of. Leimert parks eso won bookstore will soon celebrate the. Join facebook to connect with james fugate and others you may know. James fugate is a coowner for the eso won books with five videos in the cspan video library. The black book community for writers, editors, librarians, educators, publishers, distributors, book sellers, community organizations and readers has been established as an ongoing conversation space about. Eso won books is a tiny store, hidden between two other businesses and noticeable only by its large red lettering that stands out against the yellow storefront. A spate of visitors on a city tour had just left the store, and fugate s business partner, tom hamilton, arrived to man the register. Leimert park had 12,311 residents in 2008 census in a 1. Eso won has moved around a few times in its history, but is currently on degnan boulevard.
Indie bookstores see strong holiday shopping season the. Fugate eventually met his current partner tom hamilton and a third partner. Coowners james fugate and thomas hamilton answer our. To james fugate, coowner of eso won books in leimert park, the obamas are a symbol of happiness and pride. But with endeavour expected to shuffle through, fugate braced for a. James fugate on 30 years of eso won books ampersand. Author ta nehisi coates called it his favorite shop in the country earlier this month in the new york. Brazilian bookstores are facing a crisis as a result of the nations economic downturn. In an evershifting book selling landscape, creative survival has been crucial.
After offering to build a bookstore for eso won in the new complex, bradford returned a few days later to find out how much owners james fugate and tom hamilton currently pay for rent. Browsing, coming into a bookstore, the whole fellowship, talking to people, all of that is very important, says james fugate, who coowns eso won books. In 1995, a young activist whod just written a memoir came to eso won for a signing. Coowner james fugate of eso won books, left, and scot brown, author of fighting for us, at the leimert park bookshop.
Eso won books on wheels would become eso won books after fugate decided he was tired of representing a wellknown bookstore within the community. For tommie shelby, the persistence of ghettos raises many thorny questions of morality, and he offers practical answers framed in terms of what justice requires of government and its citizens. An independent blackowned bookshop becoming available nov. Quartz speaks with coowner james fugate about eso won books, one of the oldest blackowned bookstores in the us. Rory carrollthe guardian the only clue view parkwindsor hills was about to acquire. For nearly 30 years, the leimert park bookstore has showcased books by black authors the rare, the beloved, and the new. Eso won books has hosted a number of book signings with a long list. Tell us about the unusual circumstances of getting your first book. The biggest surprise weve had at our store has been the many book signings weve had. Leimert parks eso won bookstore will soon celebrate the launch of. Eso won bookstores information was last updated on, mar 19, 2014. If theyre moved to, eso wons coproprietors, james fugate and tom. Pianist randy weston passes away at age 92 our weekly. Coowned by james fugate and thomas hamilton, eso won, which stocks hundreds of books on black history and culture, holds book signings throughout the year and attracts some of the most prominent africanamerican authors in the country.
In this audio piece, coowner james fugate reflects on his evolution as a bookseller and how eso won came to be the citys unofficial literary. Please contact the bookstore directly to confirm any information provided. Titles by goines, slim and other holloway house authors are among the most popular. Eso won has hosted signings with big names like muhammad ali, terry mcmillan, and tanehisi coates, as well as countless upandcoming novelists and poets since the stores opening in 1989. Harold patton, 71, collector of books by black authors. Eso won books is well known for their book signings. The renewed push in recent years to highlight the works of black authors has boosted the fortunes of blackowned bookstores, says james fugate, coowner of eso won books, a longtime hub of black.
One of the nations oldest blackowned bookstores read online for free. Eso won books is a proud member of the leimert park neighborhood. A spate of visitors on a city tour had just left the store, and fugate s business partner, tom. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the. A spate of visitors on a city tour had just left the store, and fugates. Black americans on what they have to lose if trump. Obama and bill clinton and tanehisi coates has called eso won his favorite bookstore in the world.
Beginning with fugate and hamilton selling books out of the back of their car, eso won has. Since the fall of 2006, the store has been located at 4331 degnan blvd. Eso won s book signings have been major events, some even major coups like the 2004 visit by clinton. But with endeavour expected to pass through, fugate braced for. The author, professor and minister strikes the podium at eso won. Clinton told all his friends he wanted them to meet him at eso won, fugate said. Eso won books has weathered financial turmoil and failed business deals that promised expansion. Brooklyns lizzyoung bookseller offers up culinary cookbooks and ephemera dating back to the 1700s. In this audio piece, coowner james fugate reflects on his evolution as a bookseller and how eso won came to be the citys unofficial literary headquarters for black writing. Leimert parks eso won books, a cultural and intellectual hub of the citys afrocentric community, held a book signing in 2011 for the newly released african rhythms, westons autobiography with coauthor willard jenkins. Fugate and coowner thomas hamilton hosted barack obamas book signing. Clinton told all his friends he wanted them to meet him at eso won, fugate.