ST PAUL, Minn. — Dionne Sims is starting a new chapter.
The owner of Black Garnet Books announced Tuesday her intentions to sell the store so she can shift her attention to returning to school, where she will pursue a different passion of hers — writing.
"I've always loved to write, both personally and professionally," Sims wrote in a post on the store's Instagram page. "...I think about it every day. I do it every day. and I want to go back to school to take my craft to another place–a braver place–than I’ve been able to go on my own."
The store started from a viral social media post when she posted that opening a Black-owned bookstore in Minnesota would be her "new dream." Sims told KARE 11's Kent Erdahl back in 2022 that she was simply looking to support Black authors and Black-owned businesses following the murder of George Floyd.
She wasn't alone as her tweet quickly went viral.
"The response was overwhelming," Sims told Erdahl.
She began by selling exclusively online, but it didn't take long for her to open a store along University Avenue West in St. Paul.
"I feel so content with what I've build, and so grateful to the people who've built it with me," Sims wrote. "it's with a heart filled to the brim with gratitude that I say I'm read to pass this dream to the next person."
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