Best Mother-Daughter Business Partnership: Da Book Joint

For many people—especially those of us who love to read—it might seem that Verlean Singletary and Courtney Woods are living the dream. 

Together, this mother-daughter team has successfully navigated the hurly-burly business of  bookselling on Chicago’s South Side for many years. The most recent version of Verlean’s and Courtney’s partnership is Da Book Joint, which opened at the corner of 69th and Stony Island in South Shore in 2024.

But Verlean opened the first version of their store at 95th and Jeffrey in the late aughts. Together, they ran an online shop during the pandemic. Then, from 2021 to 2024, they were back in a somewhat uncomfortable, cramped storefront in Bronzeville.

“I was so glad to come back to South Shore,” Verlean said. “We needed to be somewhere where we could flourish, and where we could meet community needs. We always knew we wanted to be where there are no bookstores. Hyde Park is just up the way, but South Shore has remained a book desert.” 

Just down the block from the South Side YMCA and around the corner from a Jewel-Osco, Da Book Joint is busy, bright, well-organized, and well-stocked, serving readers who would otherwise have to travel outside of South Shore to peruse new titles for adults and for kids. Perhaps because of pent-up demand, and perhaps because “there are readers everywhere,” as Verlean says, local interest in books and literary activities is sustaining their enterprise. 

These days, whether you’re attending a Sunday afternoon creative writing workshop (“Lynn with the Pen” is a favorite teacher); a Wednesday evening book signing (Colin Kaepernick on October 30, for example); or a Saturday morning meet up for families, you will likely find attentive, pleased crowds at 69th and Stony. 

When they decided to rejoin the brick-and-mortar world, Verlean said they knew they wanted to serve as a “community hub,” not just a bookstore. “It’s important for us to make people feel welcome, and to feel like they can find what they need, beyond books,” she said.

Courtney recalled, with fondness, the weekly open mics at her mother’s store on 95th and Jeffrey. “My mom was so great at bringing folks together,” she said. “I was in eighth grade in 2007, when that store opened, and I still remember being there, in that packed store with people who wanted to read.” For some years, while she was in high school, Courtney said she admired her mom’s hustle and her convening skills. 

To hear Verlean tell it, however, her daughter brings the charm offensive. “Courtney, she just brings the energy,” said Verlean. “Even if a situation is dreary or hard in some way, Courtney will figure out a way to bring some sunshine to brighten it and make it pop.”

Courtney loves her mother’s ability “to keep things running.” “All of the operations and administration stuff—makng sure we’re applying for grants, paying the bills,” she said. “She’s very analytical and logical, and she’s very good at that work.”

It would seem that even in families, opposites can attract. Verlean and Courtney describe themselves as having “complementary” personalities and skills, and credit their differences for keeping their winning formula intact. 

“We get to be ourselves,” said Courtney. “And being able to share the work, as an entrepreneur, takes a LOT of the pressure off.”

As at their earlier stores, Da Book Joint specializes in books by African American and African-descended authors. Their Stony Island store has a robust and carefully curated children’s section, stickers and buttons included, too. Verlean’s latest book of choice is Tisha Campbell’s The A Word, about her son’s autism diagnosis and “the challenges and triumphs that come with raising a child on the spectrum.” Campbell, known forever to many as Gina from Martin, read from The A Word at Da Book Joint earlier this month. 

Courtney has seen a strong return to the classics, of late, with readers interested in books by Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Nella Larsen, and Sam Greenlee. “I think it’s because of current issues, like banning books, the rewriting of history, the extinction of physical media,” she said. “We’re living in very uncertain times. It can be reassuring to talk to your grandmother at times like this, because you want to know how the greats who came before dealt with these issues. Books can do this for you.”

Verlean said they have specific hopes for the nonprofit arm of their store, Options for Literacy, which they opened with the move to 69th and Stony. “We know how important it is for everyone to have books, especially young children. We want to start working with hospitals on the South Side, working intentionally with new mothers and fathers, to provide their kids with books, from the beginning.”

Da Book Joint, 6900 S. Stony Island Ave. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, 11–7pm; first and third Sundays, 12–7pm. (877) 726-6556. dabookjoint.com

Jill Petty is editor-in-chief of South Side Weekly.