Born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Simfoni Nibbs is an educator, traveler and avid reader who has fond memories of patronizing the Dockside Bookshop in her earlier days. The legendary Saint Thomas bookstore then closed its doors in 2013 and the community has not been the same since. Simfoni herself was “devastated” when the 35-year-old institution shut down. To make matters worse, her island was left with exactly zero bookstores!
“Now, I am on a mission to bring a homegrown bookstore back to the Virgin Islands. Now, more than ever, Virgin Islanders and Caribbean people alike are desperately seeking a place to tell our own stories using our own voices.”
– Simfoni Nibbs
Not waiting for anyone else to fix the situation, Simfoni is now in the process of establishing Books ‘n Bush Tea, a new Caribbean book outlet set to open for business in the USVI. Before the end of the year, she expects to open the doors of her very own mobile bookstore, a customize truck that will be able to move among the country’s three islands, bringing books to areas with little access to them.
Books ‘n Bush Tea will be similar to this Gogo Books truck based in South Carolina, USA.
“Our truck will be bursting at the seams with books by authors and illustrators from every corner of the Caribbean. Oh, and don’t forget the bush tea! All of the bush tea on our truck will be sourced from Caribbean-owned small businesses.”
– Simfoni Nibbs
We applaud this Caribbean-centered vision, which is very much needed in our region. As Simfoni’s truck gets ready for a multi-state USA tour to Florida, where it will then cross the waters into the USVI, we encourage everyone to make a contributing to her crowdfunding campaign and help her towards a most successful start in the book industry.