October 31st 2023.
Fearless Cummings and Andile Mahlageni-Byndon are two fathers who have taken their shared love of reading and made it into a reality. They have opened a bookstore in Bellevue, Nebraska, called 2Dads and a Bookstore, KETV reports.
It all started with a simple training session at their agency job, where they discovered a mutual passion for books. Their friendship blossomed from there, and shortly after, they began researching the logistics of launching their business.
Just three months later, 2Dads and a Bookstore opened its doors. Cummings reflected on the whirlwind journey, saying, “That took a lot of work. My guy had a lot of books, we found a place over in Bellevue, and everything just kind of fell together.”
What sets 2Dads and a Bookstore apart is its commitment to supporting local, up-and-coming authors. Mahlageni-Byndon expressed, “Our bookstore is very unique because we are probably one of the only few stores that give 100% of the revenue that the authors make back to them. We just want to give them a place, a platform where they can show their work to the community.”
The bookstore is more than just a place to buy books. It is a place of comfort and peace, and the founders aim to make it an inviting environment for customers to immerse themselves in the joys of reading.
As Black fathers, Cummings and Mahlageni-Byndon see their venture as an opportunity to inspire young Black boys. They want to demonstrate that reading is not only fun and cool but also accessible to everyone.
Mahlageni-Byndon expressed, “It’s just this beautiful dynamic between me and this guy, and we’re like, ‘You know what? We can tackle so many different issues in our community if we’re able to do this the right way.”
2Dads and a Bookstore is more than just a bookstore. It is a place for people to come and find a sense of community, to nurture their love of reading, and to inspire the next generation.
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