Call & Response Books opening new store in Hyde Park

As a child, Courtney Bledsoe had an “obsession” with reading, but she rarely read stories by or about people who looked like her.

As an adult, she’s trying to change that with her bookstore Call & Response Books in Hyde Park, which focuses on stocking books by authors of color and celebrating the stories they tell.

“It really is so important to have that perspective reflected in literature, not only if you’re a person of the same background, but just anyone in general,” Bledsoe said. “I really wanted [Call & Response] to be an intentional space that’s not only just about physical books, but also about connecting with each other through storytelling.”

The store, 1390 E. Hyde Park Blvd. is celebrating its grand opening May 4.

Bledsoe secured the space in February, but Call & Response has been in the works since August 2023. Startup costs have been “a lot to deal with,” but Bledsoe said a GoFundMe campaign, which surpassed its goal of $5,000 within two months, has been helpful.

She’s been working mostly on her own to renovate the space — building bookshelves, repainting and bringing in other furniture.

“We haven’t even opened yet and I’ve already had people reach out about events,” Bledsoe said. “It just is really exciting to see, as things get going and as a storefront opens, just how people want to use this space for themselves.”

Local author events are already in the works.

Writer Arionne Nettles, who lives in Roseland, will be hosting the store’s first event May 13 for her new book, “We are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything.” She said she feels “honored” to be able to celebrate the new space with Bledsoe.

Nettles said being able to host an event on the South Side, where her family lives and where many of the events in her book take place, means a lot.

“To hear about this bookstore opening up, and to hear about it being Black woman-owned was just really exciting,” Nettles said. “We really need more spaces on our side of town for those types of events and to be able to just connect and meet other people and really be able to talk about books.”

Community space

Bledsoe said the store’s name evokes Black diasporic traditions of music and storytelling that call listeners and artists to converse together. She chose the name to honor that culture and to reflect the communal focus.

“This is going to be a space where, even if you’re listening to a story or reading a story, you’re still engaging with that and you’re still engaging with the person who’s sharing it, so it is a communal endeavor,” she said. “I really wanted to convey this sense of reflecting both on what community looks like and also just harkening back to some Black diasporic cultures.”

Chasity Cooper, a Rogers Park-based author, said the store’s name appealed to her. She’s planning an event at the store for her book “Wine Convo Generator.”

“Call & Response is something that, to me, resonates because it’s such an important part of Black culture,” Cooper said. “When you think about Black church etiquette, there’s always some sort of call and response that people participate in, so I love the name, and I love that there’s a call to action.”

Cooper feels “giddy and thrilled” about the bookstore’s opening and said she’ll have to set a budget for herself at the shop. She also said it will encourage her to make the trek to visit the neighborhood more often.

“Whenever I walk into any of the other Black-owned businesses across the city, there’s a certain just kind of joy and light that I feel as a Black woman being able to support another Black woman’s dreams,” she said.

Book clubs and book fairs

Even before securing her space in Hyde Park, Bledsoe was partnering with Chicago businesses owned by people of color to run pop-up events, including the “Grown-Up Book Fair” in February at First Sip Cafe in Uptown.

First Sip co-owner Erin Hoang said hosting the pop-up was “an easy yes.”

“I really liked the idea just because we all grew up going to those Scholastic book fairs so that was just very nostalgic,” Hoang said. “And I felt like it’s something that I’m excited about, so maybe my customers will also be excited about it.”

The turnout surpassed everyone’s expectations.

Cynthia Okechukwu, who runs Black Girls Read Book Club in Chicago, attended the event and said there was a line out the door.

“It was a really stormy day and people were getting soaked,” Okechukwu said. “It’s not the type of event that you think there’s going to be a line out the door and people fighting through pouring rain to come to, but it was such an amazing environment, and everyone was really excited to be part of it.”

Okechukwu said she’s thinking about ways to collaborate with Bledsoe and is excited to bring members of her book club to the store. An Uptown resident who works in Hyde Park, she said she loves the idea of being able to browse a bookstore without having to “dig” to find books with a focus on Black people’s stories.

Danielle Moore, founder of Semicolon Bookstore and Gallery, said Chicago is home to more than 40 independent bookstores, but the community is one of collaboration, not competition. Moore has been a resource for Bledsoe and her cheerleader.

“She’s working so hard, getting things done,” Moore said. “I know it’s going to be the best energy and the best people, and I’m genuinely proud and happy to have another Black woman-owned bookstore in the Chicago book-selling landscape.”

With the store’s grand opening approaching, Bledsoe said she wants it to become a space that welcomes people of all ages and readers of all genres.

“Even if you haven’t read for your whole life, but you want to get into reading, there’s a space for you at Call & Response,” Bledsoe said. “If you are a veteran reader and you’re just trying to find something different to read, there’s also a space for you.”