Arts & Culture
Kindred Stories Opens a New Chapter in Houston’s Eldorado Ballroom
In its new space, the bookstore celebrates community and creativity with local art and expanded offerings
Photo: Claudia Casbarian
Custom designer Objektfab in Houston designed the cork stage as a focal point and setting for author talks, performances, and community gatherings. Above, the original Kindred Stories signage—carried over from the first location—hangs atop the building’s original paneling.
Kindred Stories, a Houston bookstore and cultural space, opened in 2021 in a modest row house in Houston’s historic Third Ward. Last May, the shop moved around the corner to the recently restored 1939 Eldorado Ballroom, a longtime anchor for African Americans and host to performances by legends like B.B. King and Ella Fitzgerald.
Photo: Claudia Casbarian
Kindred Stories is set within the restored 1930s Eldorado Ballroom, a landmark of Houston’s Black arts scene. Kindred Stories’ understated signage draws visual connection to nearby Emancipation Park.
“The old space was a teaser for the ways we would creatively exist as a bookstore,” Terri Hamm, the bookstore’s founder, says. “And now we get to dream and execute on a larger scale.”
Photo: Claudia Casbarian
Kindred Stories founder Terri Hamm.
For the new bookstore, which specializes in works by Black authors, Hamm brought in designer Gin Braverman, who worked with local artists and craftspeople, like Tay Butler, who designed the eye-catching custom wallpaper.
Photo: Claudia Casbarian
Playful geometric pendants and custom mural wallpaper by Houston artist Tay Butler provide a backdrop for the checkout counter. The wallpaper, inspired by the artist’s grandmother’s floral wallpaper and love of reading, features vintage florals layered with portraits of Black authors, artists, and cultural figures alongside the iconic 1990s “READ” tagline.
“Now we have a beautiful backdrop for our author talks,” Hamm says. “Most importantly, there is more space for books and more space for our community members to move around and browse.”
Photo: Claudia Casbarian
Custom chartreuse-stained timber shelving by Objektfab integrates into a colorful banquette; a painting by Houston artist Danielle Moss presides over a lounge area. Tennessee-based Franklin Fixtures crafted the wooden bookshelves throughout.
Madison Powers contributed to this story.
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