From “The 1619 Project” to her work uplifting Black journalists through the Ida B. Wells Society, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones has always been about protecting Black culture, history, and literature. Now, she’s carrying forth her mission in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.
Hannah-Jones is partnering with Bed-Stuy entrepreneurs Rotimi and Ayo Akinnuoye, the husband-and-wife team behind the neighborhood staples Bed-Vyne Wine, Bed-Vyne Brew, and Bed-Vyne Cocktail, along with DJ Johnson, owner of New Orleans’ Baldwin & Co., to open The North Star Books + Bar. The literary salon and bar will take over the former Macon Hardware space at the corner of Macon Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard.
“I’m very plugged into the writer community, I’m friends with a lot of great writers, and wanted to be able to bring those writers into our community,” Hannah-Jones told Brownstoner. “Whenever you have big book events in the city, they’re not at Black bookstores and they’re not in Black neighborhoods, so I really wanted to bring that to Bed-Stuy. People should expect all of their writing heroes.”
Before closing in 2023, Macon Hardware was one of Bed-Stuy’s longest-standing Black-owned businesses, a place where residents could grab a wrench and a word of wisdom. Now, the award-winning journalist says she’s honored to keep that energy alive and, more importantly, to keep the building Black-owned. In a neighborhood where gentrification has reshaped the landscape and pushed out generations of Black residents, she wanted to create something that restores cultural ownership and honors community history.
“Mr. Hayes was very happy to be able to sell it to someone who is in the community and cares about the community and will create a great community space,” she said of Warren Hayes, whose family owned Macon Hardware for decades. “I’m very much aware of the history, and very much honored to keep the building Black owned, frankly.”
The Hayes family has a long history with the store. Warren’s father, Peter Hayes, reportedly began working there when he was 12 years old. He then went on to purchase the store with his wife, Clara, in 1987. Though they did their best to keep the business in the family, when Clara died in 2022, Warren had to make the difficult decision to sell the building that had become a community staple.
The North Star Books + Bar is designed to be a bookstore, cafe, and cultural salon all in one. The two-story brick building will include a full bar and kitchen on the first floor and apartments upstairs that will serve as micro-residencies for visiting writers. Those writers will not only have a place to stay but will also lead workshops, readings, and community events.
“We’re not going to have a huge menu. It’s hard enough to make money on books, but we will have the capability to offer a full menu whenever we’re ready,” she noted.
The design draws inspiration from the Harlem Renaissance with an Art Deco aesthetic. It will pay tribute to Black writers of every generation, from Zora Neale Hurston to James Baldwin to contemporary voices shaping the culture today.
Hannah-Jones, who has lived in Bed-Stuy for nearly 15 years, has been quietly hosting reading events in her home and planning a public literary space for years. When a previous lease fell through, she decided she wanted to own the building outright. After spotting 339 Macon Street for sale online, she made her case directly to Hayes.
“I really, really want it to be a space, especially in these times, where creative folks can come together and exchange knowledge, ideas, literature, art,” Hannah-Jones said.“The space will pay tribute to Black writers of all eras and of all forms.”
