Coline Witt welcomes entrepreneur Malik Muhammad, owner of Malik Books, for a powerful conversation about building a Black-owned bookstore rooted in culture, community, and “knowledge of self.”

Malik shares his broke meal: poor man’s potato salad (potatoes, mayonnaise, celery seed, salt, and pepper) with turkey hot dogs, then takes us through his journey from Washington, DC to Los Angeles, running track at USC, competing in the 1984 Olympics, and ultimately launching a Black-curated bookstore in 1990.

He breaks down the real lessons behind entrepreneurship—learning business through mistakes, investing equity and losing a home, growing sales through festivals and community events, and expanding Malik Books to key locations including Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall and Westfield Culver City during the pandemic. Malik also highlights the community support behind malikbooks.com, the National Association of Black Book Stores, and his vision for a bookmobile for schools.

Plus: Malik’s recommended reads include Powernomics, Who Moved My Cheese?, and Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice.

If you care about Black entrepreneurship, independent bookstores, Black literature, LA small business, and building a legacy this episode is for you.

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