United Kingdom

London

Black-Owned

History

PRIM

Continuing our series of Black-owned businesses is PRIM, a new digital storytelling platform designed to uplift the Black community. Their focus is to connect showcase different cultural histories and shared lived experiences.

PRIM celebrate the return of their pop-up bookstore for the second year running.  To coincide with the launch, they've come through with a Trippin guide. From Black feminist works to children’s literature and heritage archives, PRIM have highlighted their top Black-owned bookstores around the UK.

Our personal favourite obviously, boasting work not just from your favourites but across art, sports and most importantly culture. In creating our pop-up libraries and this bookshop, it's a snapshot into what a permanent PRIM bookshop could look and feel like. We want it to be an immersive space, giving room for queer and Black artists to discover, explore and showcase whilst also fusing literature with cultural activities from across artistic disciplines and inviting everyone to explore and discover with us.

New Beacon is literally the beacon, one of the most renowned bookstores in London to really help us dig into fiction and non-fiction by Black authors. They are the blueprint for PRIM, and have been serving the community for decades.


We love Round Table Books because it provides the fun environment we all needed as children and young adults. A place where we can look around at all the books and see ourselves. A great place to take your young ones.


Healthy remedies in abundance, this is a special store. Pempasie provides us with natural products for hair and body, culture, remedies, African art and reading materials we'll need to begin or maintain a holistic lifestyle. This is a special store that I've personally felt really excited by.

Crowned Independent Bookshop of the Year 2021, this bookstore has been around since 1948. With regular book clubs, authors events and a dedicated children's shop, it's another one that has truly been serving the community for a very long time.

A space not just for books but for learning history in a variety of mediums. Black Cultural Archives is so important because it is one of few heritage sites we have in London and in the UK overall. A visit here will leave you with more than books to talk about.

A queer-Black-woman-owned project inspired by resistance, imagination and care. We've always loved and been inspired by this project. Whilst they do not have a physical shop, much like us, they are often taking up spaces, as they did recently with their EcoFeminist Summit.

Based in Oxfordshire, African Books Collective is an African-owned, worldwide marketing and distribution outlet for books from Africa – scholarly literature and children's books. Love the ethos here, which brings works we couldn't readily get here directly to us. An incredibly needed service.

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8 Black-Owned Bookstores in London with PRIM

This list of Black-owned B2C businesses in London is a result of collaboration across our global community and is by no means exhaustive. There are so many more incredible businesses out there and we welcome all suggestions. We have also listed some local initiatives for you to donate to, if you can. We’ll be updating this guide regularly, so if you feel like sharing, please email 

, as well as other contributors who asked to remain anonymous, for helping us put this together.

The category is…Black storytelling! Their focus is to make stories by African, Caribbean and Afro-Latinx fam available and readily accessible. You can currently find them at their bookstore pop up in Shoreditch Boxpark.

London’s first ever cactus and succulent shop. Offering a selection of the most unusual and exotic plants sourced from across the UK and Europe. Their online store is still available to shop on.

Eat of Eden serves up some of the best tasting specialist plant based cuisine in there many locations across London. We recommend the callaloo, ackee and macaroni pie.

Brixton Soup Kitchen are a Brixton-based service for the homeless and people in need. However, they help people who are from London and surrounding areas. Their charity provides hot food, support and counselling for people in need. They rely on donations and volunteers to continue their work, which you can easily donate to on their website.

2021 Andam prize winner and a distinctive new voice in the menswear arena, Bianca Saunders has been capturing the attention of the fashion world, alongside the likes of Kanye West and WizKid. The London designer's pieces counter the traditional notions of gender and masculinity and draws from touchstones on either side of her British and West Indian background. Her collection is available to purchase at Browns.

Black Cultural Archives is the home of Black British History. Their mission is to collect, preserve and celebrate the histories of people of African and Caribbean descent in the UK and to inspire and give strength to individuals, communities and society.

If you’re looking to cleanse your home and space, Cremate’s natural incense hand-dipped in London is the shit. They come in two scents: Mary Mother of God and Middle Way. We love both.

Homage Tees are responsible for those T-shirts emblazoned with the faces of British icons like Louis Theroux, Princess Di and David Attenborough.

South London rooted Jewellery and accessory brand Image Gang has garnered a global community of courageous and creative young women. You can purchase Image Gang on ASOS and directly via their website.

Who doesn't need fresh crepes? One of the many businesses created for our culture.

The world would not be the same without Carribean food. Riaz Phillips created Belly Full: Caribbean Food in the UK, to document a journey across the UK meeting the people behind the county's most popular Caribbean eateries. If you love your jerk and rice & peas, why not educate yourself on their history?

Whilst in quarantine, supply yourself with the more fresh and delicious fruit straight to your door weekly. They also give more variety than your basic Tesco selection.

The only paradox we want to be in. Delicious plant based recipes, plant based catering for dinner parties.

Exploring the space where football and the Black experience intersects.

Black Thrive is a partnership between communities, statutory organisations, voluntary and private sector. They work together to reduce the inequality and injustices experienced by Black people in mental health services. They address the barriers which lead to poorer outcomes across a range of social factors, such as education, employment, housing, and so on, all of which may negatively impact one’s health and wellbeing.

Born from a lack of ethnically diverse natural hair care in the luxury beauty industry. Nigerian-Italian Loretta De Feo devised Dizziak – a deep conditioning formula that provides course, textured hair with the rich hydration it needs and deserves. A revolution in multi-cultural hair care, Dizziak has been coined an aphrodisiac for Afro hair – delivering visible and touchable results in minutes.

Specialists in African and Caribbean Literature since 1966. For over 50 years New Beacon Books has made available to Britain and its communities poetry, literature, non –fiction, history and children’s books from Africa, Caribbean, Asia, African America, Europe, South America and Britain.

Welcome to the home of natural honey! Founded by local Walthamstow legend, you can subscribe to receive raw honey to your doorstep or even buy bees for yourself.

SEASON is a trailblazing football and fashion platform that launched in London in 2016 to counter the male, pale and sometimes stale state of modern football culture. They tell stories that showcase, celebrate and empower female fans authentically, while unpacking important issues, emphasising diversity and collaborating with exciting creative talent.

Founded by Karl Jouanni, Alive & More is a forward-thinking, and gravity-defying fashion brand. Living within the cosmos of his other venture, TEAM RELMS, ALIVE & MORE is a streetwear label that brings something new, fresh, and all-encompassing to the table. The concept is simple, get the RELMS app, play the game, and travel to the virtual fashion shrine to unlock your very real garments, and, while you’re at it, immerse yourself in the world of Team Relms as well.

Bleu is a creative interior design, mid-century furniture store based in Herne Hill, South London. They source our illustrious stock from around the world. Most of their products are mid-century modern, 20th century design, decorative art, vintage industrial furniture, vintage African masks and art. They also offer specialist upholstery and restoration too!

Trap House Salon is a safe, judgement free space to get your your hair, nails and lashes done at affordable prices. They give you that good good experience and you always leave looking fly.

Gingham doll is a small womenswear brand based in London who continuously excite the fashion palette, using classic silhouettes but with a fresher twist. They are still operating and offering Free post worldwide and have just been informed that our boutique in Shoreditch will reopen on the 20th June.

Pureté Nature is wellness brand for luxury skincare, haircare, aromatherapy and home fragrances. All of their products are ethically sourced and handcrafted by themselves using the finest natural ingredients.

The best radio station in the world. Need we say more? You can subscribe to NTS and become a member now.

Learn how to use your space with Storage Goals. They offer customised and stylish storage solutions that are tailored to your personality. Using Scandinavian designed products from Elfa, they cater for all your home and office storage needs.

In 2016, Dutch streetwear brand Patta, opened its London store doors in the middle of Soho. Ready to introduce London's community to everything it represents, Patta have continuously stayed a brand that influences culture in London and across the world.

The Prince of Peckham is a pub for south London, by south London. The community pub is for everyone in the area, with a downstairs bar and pub, and an amazing event space. On the top floor there is a music room for parties, weddings, meetings, location shoots, live music, art exhibitions, and all other celebrations. Street food kings White Men Can't Jerk are kitchen residents serving up jerk chicken, Caribbean roasts and stacks of wings. It's a vibe all year around.

Based in East London - Hackney. They specialise in running fitness classes, personal training, membership and hiring out our space to fitness professionals. Their goals are to create a safe space for groups and individuals to improve their lifestyles through health, fitness, sports and wellbeing.

New Beacon Books

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