After building a successful bookstore in Texas, Chicago native Raven White has returned to Chicago to start her next chapter.<\/p>\n
White will host the grand opening of her new business, Honey and Hue Bookstore, 1804 W. 103rd St., on Saturday, Nov. 15.<\/p>\n
Although White may be a new face in the Beverly\/Morgan Park business community, she\u2019s well-versed in running a bookstore.<\/p>\n
White owned a bookstore in Texas, Brown Sugar Caf\u00e9 and Books, before moving back to Chicago in 2024. With her latest venture, Honey and Hue, White said she will offer new books from best sellers to local indie authors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a traditional bookstore,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have over 24 genres. We\u2019re not a specialty bookstore. We\u2019re general; we have every topic from thriller, historical fiction, horror, romance, science, anything that you can think of.\u201d<\/p>\n
White plans to make Honey and Hue a place for not just big-name authors, but local writers as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a platform for independent authors,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re bringing in 50 local authors right from the Chicago area that will be housed in our bookstore as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
For White, her bookstore is more than just a retail space. She envisions Honey and Hue as a cultural hub, a place for creativity, literacy, mentorship and gathering.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe that reading is way bigger than just books,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a marriage between art and music.\u201d<\/p>\n
White plans to display local artists in her business and bring programming for both adults and youth to the storefront.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you want to reach youths, you have to meet them where they are,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that the literacy rates are extremely low. So, you have to find what children like, and for a lot of them, they like art; they like to draw; they like to create; and they love music.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it comes to young readers, White said, Honey and Hue plans to host literary cultural events, bringing in authors and partnering with nearby schools.<\/p>\n
The business has founded a nonprofit, the Honey and Hue Literacy Collective, to support its mission of making books more accessible to younger audiences in schools.<\/p>\n
White grew up in the Roseland neighborhood and is a graduate of the Chicago Public Schools. She is launching the business with her daughters, Kennedy White, 22, and Kai Elbert, 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are helping me with the youth programming, all things youth and storytelling,\u201d she said. \u201cMy daughters and I are going to be the face of the business running everything on a day-to-day basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
White\u2019s business experience in Texas was at times shaped by racial intolerance in the community. In coming home to Chicago and choosing a location for her bookstore, it was important for her to find a diverse neighborhood in which her business could thrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was important to me that I chose the space that chose me back,\u201d she said. \u201cWe researched neighborhoods for a year. We chose the Beverly\/Morgan Park community because we felt like it chose us back.\u201d<\/p>\n
White wants everyone in the neighborhood to feel comfortable and at home at Honey and Hue.<\/p>\n
That starts with the business\u2019s grand opening on Nov. 15. According to its website, the bookstore\u2019s celebration will include special sales, artist showcases, storytelling, book signings and live music.<\/p>\n