Manifest Bookstore brings the power of Black literary excellence to Little Jamaica

BY PAUL JUNOR

The official opening of Manifest Bookstore, an independent African, Caribbean bookstore on Saturday, October 1^st, 2022, is good news for the community known as Little Jamaica. Krystle Dickson founded it in August 2021 and serves as the owner and CEO. The bookstore is located at 2411 Eglinton Avenue West in front of the Freshco store near to the soon-to-be-completed Caledonia LRT station.

Manifest Bookstore is focused on bringing knowledge and diversity to Canadians. In a promotional Youtube video that was released two months before the bookstore was launched, Krystle answers several questions posed to her. She mentions that her Black-owned bookstore will specialize in bringing diversity and culture books one at a time.

Further, it will focus on Black authors and religious items including: bibles, prayer journals, specialties, bookmarks, highlighters, and pens. She states “I went on a 30-day fast, almost a year ago in the summer of 2021. God showed me the plans he had for my life, what he wanted me to do and what was to come. Within that vision was a bookstore.”

She stated that she had a Gideon moment and asked God to show her one more time if he is really speaking to her. She received another confirmation. She states “It is part of what God has planned for me, a vision for me, and those around me, including my children. I am excited to start this journey.”

She stated that she has a lot of goals for her business; she has a five-year plan and is willing to wait on God to enable her to unfold them. These plans include having multiple locations, a book club, and support for kids who don’t have books with literacy programs, and for her bookstore to be a comfortable spot.

She mentioned that she hoped to inspire other people to focus on their culture and the history of where they came from. She stated that she came up with the name Manifest after a dream. “Manifest in totality was a dream.” She states further, “I manifested it. I literally manifest it into reality, a year later.”

Krystle shared with me the challenges and struggles that she faced on her way to launching the bookstore. She did not receive any external funding and has financed this bold entrepreneurial dream on her own. As a mother of two children, she balances the responsibility of parenting with her full-time job as an office manager and part-time studies. She is excited about seeing her dream come to fruition as everything came together miraculously over time.

Her faith in God remains strong as she thinks of ways to help children in the area.

Krystle sees the grand opening of Manifest bookstore as a time of celebration. She is grateful to God that the manifestation of this dream came in the middle of a storm in her life. She states, “I am in the heart of Little Jamaica with no support.”

She is thinking of creative ways to make a difference in the community through the bookstore. She invites the wider community to join her at the grand opening and celebrate local Black authors who are largely unknown and unrecognized. Black representation matters!

The online store is up and running and anyone interested in buying books can contact:

Website: https://manifestbookstore.ca

Email:@manifestbookstore

Phone: 647-430-1885