Novelist Maura Cheeks opens bookstore and wine bar in BK

Novelist Maura Cheeks has officially opened Liz’s Book Bar in Brooklyn, New York. The bookstore offers good reads and good sips from coffee to beer to wine.

The black-owned business, situated in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood, offers a communal space for book lovers and wine lovers to attach. For Cheeks, the business pays homage to her upbringing, together with her grandmother Elizabeth Parker inspiring the name.

“When I was younger, we always went to the bookstore,” she said. he said “She always gave me a really thick book to read, and she’s part of the reason I’m an author, too. So I just felt like it was a great way to honor her legacy.”

An avid reader and author herself, Cheeks has just released her debut novel, . The story explores the fictional Forgiveness Act in Philadelphia, which offers reparations to black families. Visitors to Cheeks’ bookstore might even see her recent enterprise as a strategy to seek reparations.

“I’ve always wanted to create a public space where people can connect with strangers and neighbors and just hang out,” the entrepreneur explained. “A place that’s not home, that’s not work, where you feel comfortable just hanging out is really important.”

Cheeks’ journey to starting her own business took years. After quitting her marketing job in 2019, she began working at New York City’s Book Club Bar to realize insight into her own version of herself.

But what sets Liz’s shop apart is its concentrate on constructing community and staying true to its owner’s history. Cheeks doesn’t aim to stock recent editions, but relatively encourages customers to rediscover their love of books; perhaps over a glass of wine.

“We don’t emphasize new editions,” the novelist said. “I want people to discover old books they may not have read yet.”

When it involves popularity, customers imagine that supporting a successful black-owned bookstore advantages everyone.

“I came across a post on Instagram and I was like, ‘A black, woman-owned bookstore? Done, done, done, done, done,’” Brooklyn resident Alysha Hall shared. “You know, we’re losing small businesses left and right. It’s so nice to be able to support a place in this day and age that supports reading and learning and is owned by someone who might be a little less fortunate. So yeah, it was a no-brainer — we’re going to come and probably be here a lot.”