BEM Books & More is now open at 373 Lewis Avenue, offering a dedicated space for Black food literature and community programming. The shop carries cookbooks, children’s titles centered on food, fiction, and works that trace culinary traditions across the African diaspora. Co-founders Gabrielle and Danielle Davenport built the store around the relationship they grew up with. “We’re a bookstore and a culinary hub,” Gabrielle said. “We grew up reading and cooking, learning about ourselves and other cultures through both.”
Securing a home for the business required patience. The sisters searched for a year, narrowing options to spaces with existing kitchens. “We needed a place with a kitchen because the food side is essential to who we are,” Gabrielle explained. The Lewis Avenue area had been on their list for months. They signed the lease in June and opened on October 9.
Like many small Brooklyn businesses, funding remains an ongoing hurdle. “Honestly? The capital,” Gabrielle said. “The community support has been incredible. It is really the fundraising that is the challenge.” Support from neighbors, fellow booksellers, and local food workers have helped shape the shop. Bed-Stuy designers and artists created the visual identity and merchandise, reinforcing a collaborative and local approach.
Programming has been active from the start. Since opening, BEM has hosted events with authors and chefs, including Renae Wilson, author of American Soul, and Kardea Brown, author of Make Do with What You Have. Outside New York, BEM has partnered with conferences and festivals such as the Black Women in Food Conference in Washington and Biscuits and Banjo’s in Durham.
Culinary history is central to the store’s mission. Discussing the shop’s growing archive, Gabrielle pointed out the second-oldest book they carry: A Domestic Cook Book: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen by Malinda Russell. The oldest title they discussed is not available in-store but accessible online.
The archive also includes a recent reissue of what Gabrielle identified as the first known cookbook published by a Black woman. Not all archival titles are for sale yet, but the goal is to preserve and share them through future programming.
Music shapes the environment quietly but intentionally. During a recent visit, Gabrielle played D’Angelo. “Music signals the mood,” she said. The choice carried an added weight in the wake of the artist’s recent passing. His blend of soul, jazz, funk, R and B, and hip-hop echoed the same merging of traditions that BEM aims to hold.
The moment felt almost prophetic, given the parallels between his creative lineage and the cofounders’ belief in art that bridges memory and innovation.
BEM sits within a dense stretch of Black-owned businesses and cultural institutions. Its proximity to the Macon Library allows for collaboration, and the store is working with local organizations and regional farms to host a monthly farm stand featuring produce from Black, women owned, and queer owned farms.
On a recent afternoon, a couple, Christian and Seven, stepped in while walking the block. “We walked by a lot and I’ve just been curious,” Christian said.
“I needed to come in at some point; I love places like this.” Seven added, “We were at Peaches and just ran into it.” Their stop felt emblematic of the foot traffic BEM draws simply by being rooted in a corridor where Black businesses sit close enough for people to drift between them.
As foot traffic grows, the purpose remains steady. “Helping people find the right book,” Gabrielle said, is the core of bookselling. With a focus on literature, cuisine, and connection, BEM Books & More is establishing itself as a new gathering point in Bed-Stuy.
BEM Books & More welcomes visitors Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m.
