Books selected with purpose
Discover Black stories, history, imagination and ideas, including books that may not appear on the usual lists.
Our Story
A place built from books, culture and community.
Akoma Coffee & Books is a Black-owned bookstore, coffee house and gathering place inside Priví Stonecrest. Come for a book, settle in with a cup and find a place where conversation still matters.
How we got here
The name changed. The purpose continued.
Akoma carries forward years of work that began with Black Dot Cultural Center: making room for Black books, ideas, culture and community connection.
What began as a cultural center grew into a new kind of gathering place inside Priví at Stonecrest.
The bookstore, coffee bar and community space now live together under one name: Akoma, a place where people can discover meaningful books, enjoy good coffee, exchange ideas and feel that they belong.
A third place with purpose
More than somewhere to stop.
Akoma is the place between home and work where people can slow down and reconnect. Families discover books together. Neighbors meet over coffee. Entrepreneurs work through an idea. Community groups gather for conversations that deserve room.
Coffee that invites conversation
Begin with the flavors you already enjoy, try something new and stay long enough for a real conversation.
Events that bring people together
Join book signings, community conversations and gatherings created to connect people through shared interests.
Service that reaches beyond the store
Akoma puts community responsibility into practice through books, shared space, relationships and work that helps others move forward.
The work behind the place
Kazemde Ajamu
Kazemde Ajamu is an author, bookseller, publisher, cultural strategist, entrepreneur and community leader. His work across books, business, education and civic life grows from one conviction: Black people already possess knowledge, ability and experience of great value.
At Akoma, that belief shapes which books reach the shelf, the conversations given room and the way a customer’s question can become a useful next step. Akoma is where literature, coffee and community meet in practice, giving people room to discover an idea, talk honestly and carry something meaningful with them.
His full biography carries the deeper story of the writing, leadership and institution-building work behind the place.
Recognized beyond our community
Build with purpose. Learn by doing.
In 2024, the American Booksellers Association invited Kazemde Ajamu to its Winter Institute in Cincinnati to share Black Dot’s experience launching and shaping its IndieCommerce website.
That invitation reflected an approach that still guides Akoma: build something useful, learn from the work and share what may help someone else.
The meaning of Akoma
The heart.
Akoma is a traditional Adinkra symbol created by the Asante people of present-day Ghana. It represents love, patience, endurance, tolerance and faithfulness. The Akan expression Nya akoma means “take heart,” an invitation to remain patient and steadfast through difficult times.
Come experience Akoma
Find your place here.
Browse the shelves, order a cup, meet someone new or give yourself time to think. Akoma is inside Priví at Stonecrest, and there is room for you.