We had the good fortune of connecting with Barbara & Valeria Cerda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barbara & Valeria, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
La Revo Books has been something we have been dreaming about for a long time. My sister and I, like other Milwaukeeans didn’t grow up reading literature written by and for brown people. We wanted to have a community space and didn’t really think about the business aspect part of our bookstore. It was when it was time to file paperwork that we were like, “OH, we are actual business owners.” Our family has always hustled, in the United States and in Mexico, and while we didn’t have any formal business training – it is something that has come naturally to us.

What should our readers know about your business?
Well, we are the only Latine-focused bookstore in the entire state of Wisconsin. We are proud of the work we have done but we also recognize that we can’t be the only ones doing the work! We hope that other Latine people continue to open up businesses and bookstores. It is challenging being the “only ones” but we are grateful to have community support and strong relationships with other bookstore owners across the nation. Without formal business experience, it is challenging to navigate certain things, but again, we lean on those who do know to lend us a hand. We opened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and honestly, the only way we survived was by helping each other. That theme is very prevalent in the way we operate today and it is very much part of our value system and framework.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In Milwaukee, we have to take a bookstore tour and visit our homies! We will be checking out Rooted MKE, and they focus on BIPOC children’s literature and have an amazing exploration space for families to enjoy. Niche Book Bar will be inaugurating their store space soon in the Bronzeville neighborhood and they specialize in empowering, Black literature – paired with wine. Lion’s Tooth specializes in graphic novels and they always have fantastic events going on at their place. Lastly, we would hit up Boswell Books, who has something for everyone.

As far as food and drink, we would start breakfast out at Ruby’s Bagels, the only Latina owned bagel shop in the city. We would grab coffee from Ella’s Cafe, a queer owned traveling coffee shop who we love dearly. Next stop would be to a metaphysical shop, Materia Magicka to visit our friends from Tres Ojos to get our energies in order! We are grabbing lunch at La Finca Coffeehouse, where they have the most amazing sandwiches. In the evening, we could grab a drink and food at Revival, a new spot in Milwaukee that has welcoming staff and amazing chicken wings.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
La Revo Books would like to dedicate our Shoutout to the abuelitas across the world, Our bookstore was founded as a way to honor our ancestors and the ways that they were revolutionary in their own lives. We grew up to the stories of our own abuelitas and look at it as a symbol of love. We are dedicated to sharing stories/books with the community because our learning about our identities changed our lives. Our abuelitas taught us how to change the world through storytelling.

Website: www.LaRevoBooks.com

Instagram: @LaRevoBooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larevobooks

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