Inside Roots Bookstore & Market on Liberty City’s historic 15th Avenue, sunlight filters through greenery, and mirrors line the walls, reflecting shelves stacked with Black romance novels, banned books, political memoirs and children’s literature. The air is thick with purpose — and memory.
If Daniel “Danny” Agnew could walk in today, his business partner Isaiah Thomas knows exactly what he’d say: “We did it.”
A dream realized
Roots Bookstore and Market opened on Juneteenth 2025, fulfilling a dream the late Danny Agnew had before his passing.
Roots Bookstore is more than a shop. It is the realization of a dream first imagined in 2017, when Thomas and Agnew launched the original Roots Black House on Northwest 7th Avenue.
“Our initial plan was just to have a space in Miami where we can be unapologetically Black and be ourselves and showcase our merchandise,” Thomas said. “We also had a print shop, and we had a lot of community events, and our whole plan was, we’re just gonna bridge our two worlds together of Black Miami, and that’s what we did.”
By the time they moved into their second location at 5525 NW 7th Ave, Agnew began speaking more openly about starting a bookstore, but there was only room for one bookshelf.
Danny Agnew, who died in 2023 in a car accident, was the co-founder of Roots Collective.
“At one point, he mentioned wanting a mini bookstore in the shop, but we never really got to expand it,” Thomas said.
Agnew’s passion for books came from family.
“For us to be able to be on Fifteenth, and to own that space, it’s to say we’re not leaving, we’re not gonna run, or we’re not gonna allow for our space to be taken over.” -Phillip Agnew, Co-founder
“We grew up around books,” said Phillip Agnew, Danny’s brother, who owns the bookstore along with Thomas. “Our father was a bookseller. We grew up knowing the importance of education and reading. Being able to have a bookstore and a space where we could showcase our love of books was something that I think we all dreamed of to an extent — and something that definitely Danny wanted to do before he passed away.”
A painting of Danny Agnew on one of the walls inside the Roots Bookstore & Marketplace.
Danny Agnew died in a car crash in 2023, never seeing his dream realized. But afterward, the community responded. Thomas recalled a man reaching out with a building for sale on 15th Avenue, leading to a partnership with The Miami Foundation, helping them purchase the site through its Miami Open for Business Collective Real Estate Ownership (CREO) program.
“At first we were like, man, are we just gonna continue the Black House?” Thomas said. “And Phil was like, ‘Let’s do the bookstore. Danny mentioned it.’ And it was one of the best ideas.”
Phillip agreed.
“The stars aligned,” he said. “Obviously, we would rather have Danny than a store, but we were able to find the space. I think it was a lot of spirit involved and a lot of work on our part.”
Sherina Jones, founder of Village (Free)dge and Pantry, is another co-owner of the bookstore. Thomas also gave credit to James Mungin, one of the first members of Roots Collective, for playing a pivotal role in building the space.
Roots Bookstore has over 2,000 books on the shelves and merchandise from Roots Collective.
Built for and by the community
Roots Bookstore officially opened on Juneteenth with a grand celebration, following a soft opening in March. From day one, the project was fueled by community support. A GoFundMe page raised more than $12,000, and volunteers helped build the space.
The store sits just across from Liberty Square. Thomas, who grew up in Black neighborhoods across Miami-Dade, said the location is symbolic and strategic.
“I grew up hearing my family talking about hanging on 15th Ave or, ‘We’re going to 15th Ave,’” said Thomas. “I understood the importance of the corridor and what it meant not only to Liberty City but to Miami. And like I said at the grand opening, no one could take this away from us. We own it.”
With Liberty Square undergoing redevelopment and the broader community facing gentrification, the act of owning and preserving Black space feels urgent.
People enter the store during the opening of Roots Bookstore & Marketplace.
“The city of Miami continues to overdevelop and to gentrify Black and historically Black and Caribbean and Latino neighborhoods,” Phillip said. “For us to be able to be on Fifteenth, and to own that space, it’s to say we’re not leaving, we’re not gonna run, or we’re not gonna allow for our space to be taken over.”
Fighting back with books
From left to right, Danny Agnew, Sherina Jones and Isaiah Thomas.
What sets Roots apart is its bold political stance, especially at a time when Black history is under siege. The store opened with more than 2,500 books from the personal collection of Barney Agnew, Phillip and Danny Agnew’s father, along with community donations. Many of them are banned books.
According to PEN America, more than 10,000 book bans affected more than 4,000 unique titles during the 2023-2024 school year, with about 45% of the bans occurring in Florida.
“Banned books are a direct attempt to silence,” said Thomas, who is also an assistant principal. “It’s a direct attempt to continue this miseducation… to have us uninformed and to try to redirect what we are doing. That’s why we’re making sure we have banned books in the store.”
The store has all types of genres, and banned books.
Many titles removed from Florida public schools are proudly displayed at Roots.
“Those books tell a story,” Thomas said. “A lot of people in our government don’t want that story to be told. When someone reads a book, you can take them places and give them ideas. It’s embedded in them.”
Phillip added: “There are many different levels to it where I see that this business is an incredible opportunity for us to call back the history, stand tall in the present, and help protect the future. I believe things that are being done by the lawmakers in Tallahassee, DC and county government are to ensure young people don’t have access to history, the very things they need to help them plan to fight back.”
Roots Bookstore is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
Beyond banned books, the store carries cookbooks, comics, poetry, biographies and more by authors from various cultures and ethnicities.
“There’s something unique about holding a book in your hand,” Phillip said. “We want our people — Black, Latino, immigrant folks — to be able to come in and see themselves on the shelves. They’ll also have the opportunity to experience other worlds that they wouldn’t otherwise experience.”
A welcoming space
The team wants visitors to feel welcomed and invites them to host events, reading clubs, men’s and women’s circles, and other activities rooted in community.
Roots has long partnered with nonprofits like Dream Defenders and Dade County Street Response to organize activities and resource fairs. Short-term goals include keeping the shelves stocked, hosting events, and creating a space where people can “fellowship and build.”
“We want folks to really feel a level of ownership and a level of comfort in the space that we have, and safety,” Phillip said.
Both men see the bookstore as a bridge across Miami’s diverse communities.
“There are a lot of different dynamics that happen across the board, but the only way that we’re gonna fight against this right-wing takeover of this country is if we break down the walls between our different communities,” Phillip said. “We hope that The Roots bookstore is a place where Palestinians, Brazilians, Mexicans, Cubans, Black folks, Haitians, Bahamians, all feel very welcome.”
They also hope to add a café and open more locations in the future.
Thomas said the bigger message is one of possibility.
“I want my community to feel like it can be done,” Thomas said. “Despite what’s going on in Miami, the barriers, the adversity, we can do it. We can rise above what people think we are.”
Roots Bookstore is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
