Our Sister Bookshops

What Our Sister Bookshops does

Our Sister Bookshops is a privately held, Black-owned network of three independent bookstores that curate and sell books by and about women authors, artists, and activists. Founded by Jeannine A. Cook in February 2020, the network comprises Harriett's Bookshop in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood (opened February 1, 2020), Ida's Bookshop in Collingswood, New Jersey (opened 2021), and Josephine's Bookshop in Paris, France (opened 2024). The stores are named, respectively, for Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, and Josephine Baker. Beyond retail, the business hosts a recurring events program — including author appearances by celebrities such as Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Cynthia Erivo, and Alice Walker — and operates the Youth Conductors paid internship for young authors/artists/activists aged 15-25, a Sisterhood Sit-In Trolley Tour supporting local Black-owned businesses, branded merchandise, gift cards, and book submission services for authors.

The technology stack carries no proprietary components; websites run on Squarespace, online book sales flow through the bookshop.org marketplace for Harriett's and Ida's, gift cards and payments run on Square, ticketing runs on Eventbrite, and merchandise is sold via a Big Cartel storefront. The operating model is therefore a content-and-community-anchored retail concept, not a technology platform.

Revenue derives from one-time book sales in-store and via the bookshop.org marketplace, gift card sales, events/ticketing, branded merchandise, and ancillary services (book submissions, tours). Go-to-market relies heavily on event-driven marketing and earned media (Oprah Magazine, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Citizen, Kirkus Reviews). Customer concentration is diffuse — the business serves long-tail individual consumers across three regional markets plus a national online audience. Co-directors Raishad M. Hardnett and Aidan M. Un support the founder; the company has no external institutional funding and operates with 1-10 employees.

Name

Our Sister Bookshops

Legal name

Our Sister Bookshops

Website

https://oursisterbookshops.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Our Sister Bookshops is a Black-owned, founder-operated network of three independent bookstores — Harriett's (Philadelphia), Ida's (Collingswood, NJ), and Josephine's (Paris) — curating and selling books celebrating women authors, artists, and activists while hosting author events and community programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Bookstore Retail

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592)

SIC

Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Genre Bookstores (e.g., Sci‑Fi, Mystery, Poetry) (CRALAAAJ)

Keywords

• Independent bookstore
• Women authors literature
• Author events programming
• Book retail stores
• Community bookstore

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book Sales (In-Store): Retail sales of books directly to consumers at physical store locations. The flagship Harriett's Bookshop and Ida's Bookshop operate as traditional bookstores with daily hours.
2. Book Sales (Online): Online book sales through bookshop.org marketplace for Harriett's Bookshop and Ida's Bookshop, extending customer reach nationally.
3. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold for in-store purchases at Harriett's and Ida's locations. Gift cards for online use require manual order placement via email.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Our Sister Bookshops is a network of three independent brick-and-mortar bookstores (Harriett's Bookshop in Philadelphia, Ida's Bookshop in Collingswood NJ, and Josephine's Bookshop in Paris) that curate and retail books by and about women authors, artists, and activists. The company sells books in-store and online via bookshop.org, offers gift cards and branded merchandise, accepts book submissions from authors, and hosts a recurring calendar of author events, book launches, trolley tours, and community gatherings. The network is named in honor of historic heroines Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, and Josephine Baker.

Product overview

Our Sister Bookshops is a collective of independent bookstores comprising Harriett's Bookshop (Philadelphia, opened 2020), Ida's Bookshop (Collingswood, NJ), and Josephine's Bookshop (Paris). The bookstores share a mission to celebrate women authors, artists, and activists. Harriett's Bookshop honors Harriet Tubman, Ida's honors Ida B. Wells, and Josephine's is located in Paris. The company also operates a Youth Conductors internship program for ages 15-25, sells gift cards and merchandise, accepts book submissions, and hosts regular events including author readings and trolley tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Youth Conductors: Paid internship program for young authors, artists, and activists aged 15-25, operated in partnership with Tubman Institute

Products and services

• Harriett's Bookshop Independent bookstore in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood at 258 E. Girard Ave, open daily 12-6pm, curating books by women authors, artists, and activists and named for Harriet Tubman. Serves local readers and hosts author events.
• Ida's Bookshop Independent bookstore in Collingswood, NJ, named for Ida B. Wells, curating books by women authors, artists, and activists and serving the South Jersey community.
• Josephine's Bookshop Independent bookstore in Paris, France, named for Josephine Baker, the third location in the Our Sister Bookshops network celebrating women authors, artists, and activists.
• Gift Cards Prepaid gift cards sold through the Square payment platform for in-store purchases at Harriett's Bookshop and Ida's Bookshop. Online-use gift cards are arranged manually via email to [email protected].
• Branded Merchandise Branded Our Sister Bookshops merchandise sold online through the Bigcartel storefront, complementing the bookstores' mission-driven retail offering.
• Events Program Recurring calendar of book events, author readings, book launches, themed weekends (e.g., Alice Walker Weekend), and Sisterhood Sit-In trolley tours, with ticketing handled via Eventbrite. Past events have featured Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Cynthia Erivo, Alice Walker, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, Dr. Sealey-Ruiz, Jenn Jackson, and Sami Ellis.
• Book Submissions Service Service through which authors can submit their books for consideration to be featured and sold at Our Sister Bookshops locations.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bookshop.orgcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace partnership through which Harriett's Bookshop and Ida's Bookshop sell books online, extending customer reach beyond physical locations to national audience.
• SquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing and gift card services provider. Gift cards for Harriett's and Ida's are sold through Square's platform.
• Live NationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment company that partnered for Jamie Foxx's book tour event, producing the multi-city tour.
• Franny Lou's PorchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack-owned business included in the Sisterhood Sit-In: Trolley Tour, supporting vulnerable Black-owned businesses in Philadelphia.
• Freedom ApothecaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack-owned business included in the Sisterhood Sit-In: Trolley Tour supporting local business ecosystem.
• Marsh & ManeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack-owned business included in the Sisterhood Sit-In: Trolley Tour.
• YowieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack-owned business included in the Sisterhood Sit-In: Trolley Tour.
• We Are Much DifferentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization for Alice Walker Weekend events and trolley tour programming.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MahoganyBooks: Black-owned independent bookstore (and now hybrid publisher) in Hyattsville, MD, founded by Rhonda Williams and Felicia Withers. Direct comparator on mission (celebrating Black literature and authors), event programming, and online + physical distribution.
• The Lit. Bar: Bronx-based independent bookstore also launched by a Black woman founder (Noëlle Santos) with a curated literary mission and event programming. Closest comparable model in the U.S. — community-anchored, mission-driven, event-led.
• Loyalty Bookstore: Washington, D.C. independent bookstore owned by a woman of color with a curation-by-mission stance. Comparable on independent ownership, curated catalog, event-driven GTM, and physical-retail-plus-online-channel structure.
• Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery: Chicago Black-owned bookstore focused on literature from the African diaspora. Direct peer on curation-by-identity, event programming, and grassroots/community model.
• Cafe Con Libros: Brooklyn-based Black women-owned bookstore-cafe hybrid prioritizing books by women of color. Comparable on curated women-of-color catalog, mission-driven branding, event programming, and small-team operations.
• The Ripped Bodice: Los Angeles independent bookstore specializing in romance, founded by sisters Bea and Leah Koch. Directly comparable curation-led specialty bookstore model with themed events and a strong identity brand, though genre-focused rather than identity-focused.

Broad incumbents

• Strand Bookstore: Iconic New York City independent bookstore. Operates at a much larger scale with general-catalog breadth, but a useful comparator for the upper bound of independent bookstore economics, event programming, and rare/special inventory mix.
• Parnassus Books: Nashville independent bookstore founded by novelist Ann Patchett. Comparable on independent ownership, deep event programming (Patchett's author network), and physical-retail-plus-online structure — a relevant template for what a mature version of Our Sister Bookshops could look like.
• Tattered Cover: Denver-based multi-location independent bookstore. Comparable on multi-location physical-retail independent model and deep community/event programming — a relevant scale-up reference for the three-location Our Sister Bookshops footprint.

Others

• Bookshop.org: Online marketplace that aggregates independent bookstores and is the explicit online distribution partner for Harriett's and Ida's. Included as a relevant ecosystem participant rather than a competitor — its trajectory directly affects Our Sister Bookshops' online channel economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/harriettsbooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/harriettsbooks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Our Sister Bookshops