Missouri’s Longest Standing Black Bookstore Under Threat: The Urgent Need to Preserve Willa’s Books and Vinyl

Inviting other vendors to sell with her, a small market expanded in the post office to include African artifacts sold by Sandra Newsome, pocketbooks, and on-site T-shirt makers. For each pop-up shop Willa would tote her crates out of her car and enter the post office through the loading dock.

Willa would usually be the first to set up her table. In the multi-storied building, she strategized that the best time to set up shop was on payday where they would wait for employees to come down and shop on their breaks. For Willa, selling books was not just to make extra money, but also to increase the visibility of Black history and literature. Folks bought her books because of the curiosity her books sparked.

In 1995, a bombing in Oklahoma City led to more stringent restrictions in federal buildings, these restrictions ended the postal service pop-up shops. Determined to continue sharing her finds, Willa shifted to independently selling her books as a street vendor on 18th and Vine.

During this time Willa could be found at varied events hosted on 18th and Vine such as the jazz festivals and conventions that drew people to the lively district brimming with culture. Here her reputation flourished as a book seller.

Selling on 18th and Vine wasn’t as frequent as the pop-up shops that she did at the post office, but when the opportunity was there Willa set up on the street with a growing number of books filling the crates that she hauled with her.

Tragically, grief was the catalyst that transformed Willa’s trajectory as a Black book enthusiast. In 1997, devastation in Willa’s family caused her to retire from her job at the post office. After losing her youngest daughter and granddaughter to domestic violence, Willa further embraced Christianity and navigated her grief by collecting more books. 

As Willa grieved, she made frequent visits to Salvation Army locations across Missouri. There she searched for books on the Holy Spirit, her main fascination since leaning into Christianity. Wandering through aisles of books at these stores, Willa also found more Black stories and storytellers that furthered her knowledge of Black history and literature.  

In the years following her loss her book collection grew exponentially, as she allowed books to provide her with comfort through her loss. Willa explained, “I always collected books, but I became obsessed… I learned why people hoard, I was trying to fill that hole… whenever I got religious books I also got Black books and the Black books took over.” 

Hopping around from book sellers across Kansas and Missouri, to out of town church conventions, and family reunions in Kentucky, she took these trips as opportunities to buy more books.

Currently, as Willa and community members are taking inventory of her collection, she comfortably claims using her mental inventory that a majority of her books are written by Black authors or share stories of Black people.

The Keeper of Culture: Willa’s Expansion into Vinyl and Black Literature

Over the course of two decades these books began to take up her home space. Her husband began to question what they would do with all of the books that Willa stored in there house. From the post office to 18th and Vine Willa began growing a book selling reputation. Black schools such as J.S. Chick Elementary, who had difficulties finding a sufficient amount of Black books, used the support of Willa’s expertise and inventory. The elementary school bought Black children’s books directly from Willa’s cherished collection. 

However, these sales were not enough to make large dents in Willa’s collection. 

In 2007, Sandra Newsome encouraged Willa to start selling in shop, so they went into business. After opening up a storefront, people began to sell their vinyl and record players to Willa as people were navigating the value of having CD’s versus vinyls. Three fellow collectors, who were customers at her store noticed the low prices Willa was selling her vinyls for and shared their knowledge on appraising vinyls and the record business. She started out with a love for Blues, but found her collection expanding in genres. The time she spent housing with her brother Theartis taught her to love Jazz, and after he passed, his collection was added to her store.

Together Sandra and Willa sold books and artifacts of Black culture until 2012. When Sandra decided to stop selling Willa paused her selling efforts since the shop expenses were not feasible for her to continue covering them alone. She decided to put her inventory of books and vinyl in storage, until she could sustain her own shop.

Reopening a shop in 2015, by 2022 Willa and 150-Black Owned Businesses faced displacement by an Omaha real estate developer. In response Willa called for the support of her community to re-open at a new location. Launching a GoFundMe in May of 2021, Willa received $19,600 from various givers with donations ranging from $5 to $3,000. With these funds Willa was able to re-open Willa’s Books & Vinyl as a cozy history lover’s haven where she continues to keep her resources open to the community.

Discovering Willa’s Books & Vinyl

The first time community member Nina Kerrs met Willa she walked into Willa’s Books & Vinyl looking for a job.

“I opened the door and Ms. Willa was sitting there at a small table. She told me she can only afford to be the sole person working and invited me to sit down. Ms. Willa put on a record and [for four hours, until closing,] we explored abolition, war, and slavery. It dawned on me how her store and her wisdom felt like it wasn’t being appreciated fully by our young Black radical communities.” – Nina Kerrs, local creative and organizer with the Kansas City Defender

Willa has collected literature and knowledge that date back centuries. Two of her oldest books were written by Frederick Douglas, the oldest book is inscribed with the original owner marking its date of ownership to the year 1864. More finds in her collection include Jet magazines, local yearbooks from decades prior, framed art, and rows of vinyl that make her shop ever more expansive.

Spaces such as Willa’s Books & Vinyl serve as a place where community can come together and exchange wisdom between generations. For the sake of future generations, we need to tend to the lessons that Black existence has taught us both in the present and the past. 

Black people should have the right to access Black history and stories, so it’s important to Willa that the inheritor of her inventory continues communal accessibility to the knowledge she is storing.

Willa’s Books & Vinyl holds lessons Willa learned about love.

“My father is the reason why I love to read… my brother introduced me to jazz when I was a blues person… [and] my mother taught me about loving people.” – Willa Robinson, Owner of Willa’s Books and Vinyl

Join the Community: How You Can Help Preserve KC’s Longest Running Black-Owned Bookstore

As Willa’s Books & Vinyl faces one of its greatest challenges, now is the time for our community to rally together and ensure that this vital cultural resource remains accessible to Black children, elders, writers, readers, music lovers, and culture bearers. We are actively seeking volunteers to assist with inventory and staffing the store—whether you can offer just 1-2 hours a week or more, your time and dedication are invaluable to this cause. By volunteering, you’ll not only be helping to preserve a cornerstone of Black history in Kansas City, but you’ll also be playing a direct role in keeping Ms. Willa’s legacy alive for future generations. 

Are You Interested in Volunteering or Supporting Our Campaign:

Preserve Willa’s Books & Vinyl Campaign (Instagram/Facebook): @preservewillasbooks