A new literary salon and bar is being planned in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones is teaming up with well-known local entrepreneurs, according to Brownstoner.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, best known for The 1619 Project, along with business partners Rotimi and Ayo Akinnuoye, the team behind the beloved Bed-Vyne, and DJ Johnson, owner of New Orleans bookstore and cafe Baldwin & Co., are preparing to open The North Star Books + Bar in the space at 339 Macon St., which used to house Macon Hardware, the website reported.
Before closing in 2023, Macon Hardware had a long history as one of Bed Stuy’s longest standing Black-owned businesses. The building will continue its legacy housing a business in service to the community, and Hannah-Jones said she was honored to keep it Black owned.
The two-story brick corner building has apartments on the second floor that Hannah-Jones said will be used for micro-residencies, offering visiting writers a place to stay and engage in community work, Brownstoner said.
