COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Born and raised in St.
Petersburg, Lorielle Hollaway
was taking an anthropology
class in college when she
found that she was very interested in
learning about cultures and their traditions.
The class sparked her interest
in community activism, and Hollaway
decided a children’s bookstore, one that
curated a collection of books that would
foster self-love among children of color,
could be her own type of activism. Her
bookstore, Cultured Books, was born
of this desire to offer something back
to the community, and it is the only one
with this business model in the city.
“The bookstore became my activism,”
Hollaway said. “This is how I can make
change.”
Hollaway believes books can be a
way to present marginalized cultures in
a positive way, without removing important
cultural aspects.
“What we teach children now, they
use as grownups,” Hollaway said. “So
we can teach them to be compassionate
and empathetic. Not be color blind; but
change the narrative about people of
color.”
Stories of the struggles of marginalized
people are not the types of books
Hollaway seeks when adding titles to
the store.
“We try to offer positives stories
about different cultures,” she said. “Yes,
we do have a lot of struggle in our history
and our shared histories, but that is
not our starting point. We like to make
sure we have positive representation -
especially books about black people.”
The hope is to not just promote
cultural pride, but also awareness
and understanding between cultures.
Local parent-teacher associations have
reached out to purchase diverse, multicultural
books for elementary school
classrooms.
“Just reading about skin color isn’t
going to change perspectives. You have
to be ok with Black or brown people
being the star of the story,” she said.
“Having those positive stories about
people of color can be so helpful.”
PROMOTING LITERACY
Cultured Books is located at the heart
of the historic St. Petersburg neighborhood,
The Deuces, on 22nd Street
South. Once a thriving African American
community, The Deuces was, at its
height, home to hundreds of businesses.
Over the past decade, the neighborhood
has undergone a renaissance, with
several new business developments and
expansions in the works. Hollaway chose
the neighborhood to locate her store
after learning its history.
“One of my friends gifted me the
book Historic 22nd Street by Rosalie
Peck and Jon Wilson,” she recalled.
“After learning about the history and
culture right here on the Deuces, I fell in
love. This is where I’m supposed to be.”
Hollaway hosts weekly neighborhood
events in the community through
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Foundation. The Skate Literacy
Community meets at a local skate park
on Friday afternoons. Hollaway, with
her girls, Nadia, 11, Ava, 9 and Joyce,
2, in tow, brings books, literacy-based
coloring sheets and food. Everyone
reads, snacks and skates. On Saturday
mornings at Deuces Corner, she holds
the Breakfast Literacy Community, which
offers breakfast, reading and a literacybased
activity that children can turn in
to receive a free book.
Right now, Cultured Books shares
space with The Well, a collective of
healers and activists, and can also be
found on the second Sunday of each
month at the Deuces Sidewalk Market
among artists, makers and authors who
set up booths there.
Hollaway hopes that, in the future, she
can purchase property on the Deuces
to give the bookstore its own space
and secure a spot in the community for
generations to come. Hollaway’s favorite
quote is one by Edward Everett Hale,
that says, “I am only one, but still I am
one. I cannot do everything, but still I
can do something.”
“Whatever little something I can do
can still spark change and love,” she
said.
“The bookstore became my
activism. This is how I can
make change.”
— Lorielle Hollaway
IF YOU GO
CULTURED BOOKS
Sundays 1-4 p.m.
833 22nd Street S
St. Petersburg
www.culturedbooks.com
Lorielle Hollaway with two
of her daughters,
Ava (left) and Nadia (right)
24 'BURGLIFE | Living, Working and Playing in St. Petersburg, FL
/www.culturedbooks.com
