Bigger Than a Bookstore.
Roots exists because of the community.
Everything we do —
the events, the partnerships, the free books on the sidewalk
— is an extension of that.
WHAT HAPPENS HERE
Real People. Real Moments. Real Impact.
Strangers Don't Exist Here.
A man came in looking for a book he used to read in prison. We didn't have it. A woman in the store — a stranger — overheard the conversation and bought it for him. The book arrived three days later. That's what this space makes possible.
Presence Is Everything.
Three young men came in wearing ankle monitors. They said they liked reading. They said: if this place had been here the night they made the decision that changed their lives, things might have been different.
A Place to Just Be.
A young woman came in who had never been in a bookstore before. She said she felt, for the first time, like she could just be herself.
OTHER MOMENTS OUR SPACE MAKES POSSIBLE:
- At our soft launch, someone found a book written in Spanish before colonization — a text they had been searching for — and couldn't contain their emotion.
- A man rides his bike down 15th Avenue with a history book from Roots open on his handlebars.
- An elderly woman comes in regularly and asks for dictionaries and thesauruses. That's her fun reading.
Strangers Don't Exist Here.
A man came in looking for a book he used to read in prison. We didn't have it. A woman in the store — a stranger — overheard the conversation and bought it for him. The book arrived three days later. That's what this space makes possible.
Presence Is Everything.
Three young men came in wearing ankle monitors. They said they liked reading. They said: if this place had been here the night they made the decision that changed their lives, things might have been different.
A Place to Just Be.
A young woman came in who had never been in a bookstore before. She said she felt, for the first time, like she could just be herself.
OTHER MOMENTS OUR SPACE MAKES POSSIBLE:
- At our soft launch, someone found a book written in Spanish before colonization — a text they had been searching for — and couldn't contain their emotion.
- A man rides his bike down 15th Avenue with a history book from Roots open on his handlebars.
- An elderly woman comes in regularly and asks for dictionaries and thesauruses. That's her fun reading.
BOOKS BELONG TO THE STREETS, TOO.
Every week, 20 to 30 books go out on the sidewalk in front of Roots. Every single one gets taken.
Not one has been destroyed. Not one has been left in the wind — on 15th Avenue, one of the toughest streets in this city.
Whoever is picking up these books is reading them. That tells you everything about this community that the headlines don't.
Since our first Juneteenth event in 2024, we've given away over 1,200 books. We're not counting anymore. We're just putting them out.
IN THE NEWS
Miami Herald: "On Juneteenth, Their Dream of Bringing a Bookstore to Liberty City Becomes Reality"
Updated March 1, 2026
"A large-scale painting of the late Danny Agnew hangs on the back wall of the 750-square-foot space of the Roots Bookstore located along the iconic 15th Avenue Corridor in Liberty City. Inside the store, a few people, including his brothers Phillip and Cameron and their dad Barney, gathered inside placing books onto the shelves..." [READ MORE]
NBC Miami: "Roots Bookstore: The Black-Owned Shop on a Mission in Liberty City"
Published February 13, 2026
"In a neighborhood where access to books has not always been guaranteed, a small storefront in Liberty City is opening in a big way to create access to reading and space for stories that have been banned, overlooked, or erased..." [READ MORE]
BuyBlack.org: "Discover Roots: Liberty City's Inspiring Black-Owned Bookstore"
Published February 13, 2026
"Roots Bookstore, a Black-owned establishment in Liberty City, is not just a bookstore but a beacon of representation, community, and access. Situated near the corner of Northwest 15th Avenue and 66th Street, this small storefront is creating significant waves by providing access to reading materials and a platform for stories that have been banned, overlooked, or erased." [READ MORE]
Miami New Times: "Miami Gets Lit Thanks to a Wave of New Bookstore Openings"
Published August 28, 2025
"'Our goal is to ensure we’re a Black-owned bookstore, but we don’t have only Black authors in the store,' says Phillip Agnew, co-owner of Roots. 'We believe that Black people, that people in this city, should have access to all of the knowledge that is available to them in the world.'” [READ MORE]
WLRN: "Liberty City's Only Bookstore Plants Seeds For a Brighter Future"
Published August 13, 2025
"Inside Liberty City's only bookstore, a large mural of a bespectacled Black man dominates the space and reminds the owners of a revered friend and brother who dreamed of promoting literacy and community together under one roof..." [READ MORE]
Miami Times: "Roots Bookstore: A Beacon for Black Miami's Legacy"
Updated July 4, 2025
"Inside Roots Bookstore & Market on Liberty City’s historic 15th Avenue, sunlight filters through greenery, and mirrors line the walls, reflecting shelves stacked with Black romance novels, banned books, political memoirs and children's literature. The air is thick with purpose — and memory..." [READ MORE]
