Every day at 10 a.m., Clarrissa Cropper or her husband, Leonard Egerton, open the doors to Frugal Bookstore — a family business in the heart of Roxbury and Boston’s only Black-owned bookstore. In 2024, Frugal Bookstore was named one of the City of Boston’s “Legacy Businesses” and has been vital to the community since it opened in 2008.

The City of Boston names a cohort of “Legacy Businesses” each year. These businesses are defined by the city as “long-standing, independent enterprises that make a strong contribution to community character,” and Frugal Bookstore does just that.

Located near Nubian Square, the shop serves a predominantly Black and Latino community, and the book selection reflects this by primarily featuring Black authors. 

“We are a staple in the community, because when I was growing up and when my husband was growing up, there weren’t many bookstores that had the majority of Black and brown authors in the stores, and we weren’t reflected in a lot of the book covers,” Cropper said. “So to be able to have a space that we can share with our community, a community that we grew up in, … it’s such an honor to be in this position.”

Shelves of colorful books, prominently displaying classic and up-and-coming authors, line the store’s walls. Every genre has a place, from poetry to children’s books; there’s a seemingly endless array to choose from. There’s even a box filled with free books for customers to take from the store’s entrance. A consistently updated event board also alerts customers to the shop’s upcoming activities, like book club meetings and publishing launch parties. 

Frugal Bookstore originated in a mini-mall plaza where Bob Romanow sold books out of his furniture store, Frugal Furniture. Romanow sold the bookstore independently to current co-owners Egerton and Cropper in 2008. The pair kept the name “Frugal,” and “17 years later — here we are,” Cropper said. 

The shop moved to its current location nine years ago and has benefited the surrounding community ever since. Cropper and her family are passionate about encouraging literacy within her hometown, Roxbury, and are succeeding with their bookstore’s rising fame throughout the neighborhood. 

“My favorite memory is when a young child came in and they were with their parents, and their eyes just lit up because they were like, ‘Oh my goodness, look at all of these books; look at all of these brown faces on the covers,’” Cropper said. “I hold that near and dear because I witnessed that, and I remember their reaction … when they came in the bookstore and they were just so excited to see so many books with people that look like them.”

With the shelves proudly representing the community they reside in, Frugal Bookstore inspires literacy through weekly events, free books and a willingness to order any book customers desire.

For Frugal’s customers, it is the preferred option for every book purchase. Eugenia Gibbons, a long-time patron, has consistently returned to Frugal Bookstore “whenever [she] needs a book,” despite no longer living nearby.

“I’ve been coming for many years, for as long as I can remember, maybe the last 10 years,” Gibbons said. “I just love to come here whenever I need something — they’re always so friendly.”

Gibbons has purchased countless books from Frugal Bookstore, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches and “Remarkable Creatures,” a novel by Tracy Chevalier.

“I always find something, something new and something that I love when I come here,” Gibbons said.

The shop’s influence extends beyond Roxbury as well. As Boston’s only Black-owned bookstore, Frugal Bookstore is known throughout the city.

“We were planning a trip to Boston for a while, and this is one of the most anticipated places we’re going,” said Ophionia Moore, a customer visiting from Maryland.

Moore said her friend attended school in Boston and told her Frugal Bookstore is a must-see Black-owned business in the city.

“There’s not a ton of Black-owned businesses, I can’t speak for Boston, but just in general, so whenever you see one, you kind of have to support it to promote the longevity of a business,” Moore said.

Cropper and Egerton hope that their family will continue to inspire the next generation of readers in Roxbury. 

“We’re the first generation, so we would love to pass it down and leave a legacy for our children,” Cropper said. 

Representation is crucial to Frugal Bookstore’s mission of promoting literature throughout the community. To its customers, the shop is not just a bookstore — it’s a place of empowerment for many, including the family that owns it.

“I didn’t know I would be in this position, but now being in this position and owning this bookstore, it’s a passion, it’s a love, it’s like our heart,” Cropper said. “This is home; this is what we know; this is what we do, promoting literacy in our community.”