The Delaware Art Museum has expanded its role within the Wilmington community. The Museum will now also operate as an independent bookstore.
The art museum decided to open the bookstore following the closing of the Ninth Street Book Shop, the heart of Wilmington’s literary scene for over forty years. The bookshop nearly closed in 2012, but was saved by a campaign of loyal customers. However, with the decline of the central business district it became harder to remain. Ninth Street closed its doors finally in 2018.
With the inclusion of the new bookstore, the Delaware Art Museum will be the only independent bookstore left in Wilmington. In addition to its existing stock of souvenirs and art catalogs, the store will also have fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books related to the themes of the museum’s collection. The museum also plans to feature work from local artists and host literary programs such as a chapter of the Well-Read Black Girl Book Club and the Wilmington Writers Conference.