EyeSeeMe Bookstore-6951 Olive Blvd.

When Pamela Blair was home-schooling her four children, it was the children who recognized that there were few books about people who looked like them, who were African Americans, historical stories that included themselves as heroes, victors, founders, creators, and contributors to society. She went on a mission to seek out these books and found they were hard to come by, even in libraries, but she continued to search and even began writing her own books based on Bible stories. Other parents expressed their frustrations as well and that’s how EyeSeeMe began.

Opening their store in University City on Olive in 2017, the space quickly became too small, but with support from small business support services like Justine Petersen and JP Morgan Chase, they moved to a larger location in early 2019 at 6951 Olive. The space has become a community gathering place, offering two classrooms, and adult/high school reading and study area and soon a café. Garnering attention from Oprah, Steve Harvey and NBC, they were also selected to be a part of Facebook’s Small Business Council. Through the help of Facebook, their business has soared to new heights.

Part of their mission is to be a resource to parents, teachers, and schools in providing the very best children’s books on the market that promote positive images and stories about African American culture and history. The store is helping to bridge the cultural divide, so that African American children can benefit from exposure to literature that respectfully mirrors themselves, their culture and their families. They have also started the EyeSeeMe Foundation to create programs that increase literacy in underserved communities. Visit their location to pick up a great book, relax in the reading room or buy some holiday gifts on-line at www.eyeseeme.com