DETROIT – At the corner of Puritan Avenue and Lesure Street on Detroit’s west side, an abandoned building is being rewritten into something new: a neighborhood bookstore and café.
Jerjuan Howard, an Army veteran, youth advocate, and lifelong Detroiter, is behind the vision for the Howard Family Bookstore.
“This community is me. And I am it,” Howard said.
Howard bought the long-vacant building in 2024 and has spent the last year and a half transforming it through construction and renovation, documenting the process along the way.
He said his goal is bigger than opening a business; it’s about creating a positive, welcoming “third space” for kids, families, and neighbors to gather.
Within about a mile and a half of the location, Howard notes there are six schools, but no bookstores. For years, the building stood empty, a familiar sight in many Detroit neighborhoods.
Howard says he sees it differently: as potential.
Inside, the bookstore is expected to feature a variety of books, community-focused programming, and a café with drinks in an inviting atmosphere.
Howard hopes it becomes a hub that helps shift how the neighborhood sees itself and what’s possible there.
“I believe that this will begin to kind of shift the culture of what this community is and how it values itself, and how it values the things that are in it,” Howard said.
When the Howard Family Bookstore officially opens Saturday (April 25), Howard says he wants the project to serve as encouragement for others, too.
“I want the message to be you can do this too. You can solve a problem for your community,” Howard said.
Grand opening details
- Howard Family Bookstore: 13803 Puritan Ave, Detroit, MI 48235
- Ribbon-cutting: Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m.
- Traffic note: Some nearby streets may be blocked off during the ribbon-cutting
- Hours: Open Monday through Saturday
More info: https://howardfamilybookstore.myshopify.com.