In early 2026, the renaissance will be reborn in Brooklyn. Welcome to The North Star Books + Bar, a space of beauty, legacy and community. 

At a time when Black stories and histories are under attack, The North Star recalls the  elegance and striving of the Harlem Renaissance literary salons, providing a sophisticated sanctuary for Black literature, artistry and creative resistance.

Located in the iconic Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, but serving the world, The North Star is a bookstore, bourbon bar, and cafe where thinkers, dreamers and revolutionaries gather to READ. DRINK. PLOT. 

Founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and partners Rotimi and Ayo Akinnuoye, long-time Bed-Stuy business owners of Bed-Vyne and Brew fame; and DJ Johnson, founder of New Orleans’ renowned Baldwin & Co.; The North Star will feature Black-owned spirits and showcase the diaspora’s greatest literary and intellectual talent through book talks, workshops and events. 

Since David Ruggles founded this nation’s first Black bookstore in New York City in 1834 to disperse abolitionist literature, Black bookstores have existed as liberatory spaces. of resistance. We take our place in that tradition. We cannot wait to open our doors to you.

For updates and to stay in touch, follow us on social media and sign up here. 

Why are we called The North Star?

The North Star was the name of the abolitionist newspaper founded by Frederick Douglass and Martin Delaney. Its name referenced the instructions given to our ancestors seeking to self-liberate: Follow the North Star. 

When questioned on his decision to create The North Star, Douglass is said to have responded, “I still see before me a life of toil and trials..., but, justice must be done, the truth must be told...I will not be silent.” For the paper’s slogan, he chose: "Right is of no Sex. Truth is of no Color. God is the Father of us all, and all we are Brethren."

In other words, The North Star has always helped us chart the path to freedom. In this space, you will find nourishment for the mind, the body and the spirit.