Pages Bookshop, Detroit, Mich., which was scheduled to close at the end of February after a decade in business, has a new owner. Model D reported that Jelani Stowers has purchased the business from Susan Murphy, who is retiring. He will host a grand re-opening on April 26, Independent Bookstore Day
"I'm excited. I've been a part of this community for this long time, but this will be stepping into this community in a new way," said Stowers, who was raised in Rosedale Park and still lives there. He first became familiar with Pages as a teenage customer when Murphy opened in 2015. "In the decade since, Stowers has emerged as one of Detroit's leading Gen Z voices, working with the Steen Foundation, a Detroit-based youth-focused philanthropic organization, as well as an advocate and educator in computer science and entrepreneurship for young Detroiters," Model D wrote.
"I'm really interested in engaging the youth in and around Rosedale Park. The neighborhood in general is aging, but there are schools being served in the neighborhood, so there is youth somewhere," he noted.
The Steen Foundation, where Stowers is v-p of narrative and research, will fund a new $1,000 scholarship fund for Detroit Public Schools Community District students. Named in honor of Murphy and her "bookstore cat" Pip, the scholarship will be tied to the purchase of select books in-store, with each book sold supporting students' education directly and indirectly.
"Middle-grade literacy is shrinking in places across the board--not just in Detroit," Stowers said. "What you choose to read in middle school sets your pace for the personal choice to read later on. I'm really wanting to engage that aspect through the Steen Foundation."
Since January, when Murphy announced her retirement, Stowers joined the American Booksellers Association, attended several trade shows, and networked with publishers, retailers and authors. He also sought counsel from both Murphy and Janet Jones, owner of Midtown's Source Booksellers. He told Model D that he will keep the store's book offerings close to Murphy's stock, but is also looking to engage other community partners, faith-based organizations, chambers of commerce, and Detroit residents to build on Pages' stature as a community-oriented staple.
"Even though we've been here in the neighborhood, it'll be getting to know each other in a new context," he said.