Black-owned bookstore that was an Atlanta staple nears its final chapter

One of Atlanta’s largest Black-owned bookstores is closing its doors after spending more than three decades as a cultural hub.

However, Medu Bookstore owner Nia Damali said it’s time for her to end one chapter in order to create another.

“I would love to reconnect to my writing,” she said.

Damali admitted that she put her own writing pursuits on the back burner for the purpose of helping new writers and expanding the literary industry. After 35 years operating Medu Bookstore, she wants to take a break before jumping into her next venture.

“After I get a little relaxation, then I will give it some thought,” she explained. “But I do know that I would definitely stay in the literary arena.”

Radiant Ray browses books at Medu bookstore in Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The store is closing after more than three decades in business. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Damali always had an interest in the literary world. Originally from Chicago, she was inspired by the creative professionals of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

“I always adored people like Haki Madhubuti and others that were my elders around me, growing up in Chicago,” she said. “I just joined a writers group. From there, I just started to write poetry and hang out with the writers.”

Owner Nia Damali looks through books at Medu bookstore in Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The bookstore is closing after more than three decades in business. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Damali’s work has been published in Essence Magazine, by writer and political activist Amiri Baraka and Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks. She has written a poetry book, book of short stories, a book of African names and partnered with Dr. Asa Hilliard III for a book called “The Teachings of Ptah-Hotep.”

When she moved to Atlanta in 1982 to attend Clark College — now Clark Atlanta University, Damali immediately gravitated toward the nearby Black-owned Hakim’s Bookstore, a chain of bookstores based in Philadelphia. She successfully asked if they would carry the poetry book she had recently completed and also ended up being offered a job at the store.

“So, I worked there while a student at Clark and a few years after I graduated,” she explained. “I decided to go in the bookstore business instead of corporate America, and I’ve been in the business ever since.”

Working at Hakim’s Bookstore became something of a mentorship to Damali as she learned the inner workings of the industry. In 1989, she officially opened Medu Bookstore in Greenbriar Mall, and it became a haven where professional writers, activists, philanthropists and entertainers went to publicize their new work and participate in community events.

A view of merchandise at Medu bookstore in Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The store is closing after more than three decades in business. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Medu Bookstore was Marilyn Leach Williams’ first job in Atlanta after moving from Tennessee in 1994.

“I learned a lot from Nia. She was very helpful, and I met a lot of different authors working with her,” Williams remembered. “It was an amazing experience.”

While working at Medu, Williams had the opportunity to meet literary greats Terry McMillan, Johnnie Cochran, Cornel West, Berniece King and Andrew Young.

A photograph of former Congressman John Lewis appears in a photo album at Medu bookstore in Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The bookstore is closing after more than three decades in business. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

“My favorite was Nikki Giovanni,” said Williams, who still works in the book industry. “She was just so personable and just like a big sister.”

Marcus Williams, currently of Nubian Bookstore in Morrow, Georgia, was hired to work at Medu while attending Morehouse College in the late 1990s. Damali also served as his mentor.

“She taught me the business,” he said.

Jamil Jahi and his daughter Lay leave Medu bookstore in Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The store is closing after more than three decades in business. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Though Damali will no longer be in a role of operating a bookstore — which included reviewing books from time to time — she’s optimistic about up-and-coming writers continuing the legacy of storytelling.

“Everybody has their own creativity,” she said. “I don’t know what to expect, but I would definitely like to hope that the craft is really polished well.”

However, she warns aspiring writers from using artificial intelligence as a tool, calling the writing “bland” and “generic.”

“ (AI-assisted books) are so basic in terms of the writing style,” Damali explained. “They just seem like they’ve been copied in some form or another.”

Owner Nia Damali helps customer Radiant Ray at Medu bookstore in Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The bookstore is closing after more than three decades in business. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)