MahoganyBooks is a local independent bookstore that believes in social entreprenuership. We take a leadership role in the African American community by promoting reading, writing, and cultural awareness as tools to improve self-esteem, self-love and ultimately our communities to enrich the lives of motivated individuals. At its roots, MahoganyBooks.com was an online bookstore for 10 years that specialized in books written for, by, or about people of the African Diaspora. As of Black Friday (November 24, 2017), the doors of their very first physical location were opened in the Ward 8 Anacostia community of Washington, DC. Created online in 2007 by an enterprising husband and wife duo in the Washington DC area, MahoganyBooks is the result of Derrick and Ramunda's love for culture, community and literature and their desire to see it empower others as it has empowered them. With over 20 years of combined experience in the retail book industry, they have witnessed the book industry's highs and lows. That practical knowledge has given them the insight needed to develop a new bookstore model that capitalizes on today's technology while staying true to the independent community bookstore roots that define the core values of MahoganyBooks and its founders.