When Priscilla Mbama Abasi launched City Reads Books & Stationery in 2021, she wasn’t trying to build a traditional bookstore. She was responding to a need she experienced firsthand as a reader in Ghana. She is now expanding City Reads through the Master of Business Creation (MBC) Global program at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, through which she is strengthening the strategy behind the brand’s expansion.
Born in eastern Ghana and now based in Accra, Abasi launched City Reads from a spare bedroom with just over 50 books, all while working full-time as a GIS specialist. She was driven by the belief that business could be both an opportunity and a solution.
“I felt like the books we wanted were either hard to find or too expensive,” she said. “I thought maybe there’s a way to bring them in and still sell them at an affordable price.”
Affordability and accessibility have defined the company’s mission from the start, with Abasi remaining committed to low prices despite dramatic exchange rate fluctuations. “It’s not about getting rich quick,” she explained. “It’s about serving a need, getting books to people.”
What began as a small operation has grown steadily. Today, City Reads restocks regularly and serves a growing community of readers across Ghana — but the numbers only tell part of the story.
“Most bookstores here are transactional,” Abasi said. “You come in, you buy, and you leave. For us, it’s different.”
City Reads creates a warm, inviting space designed to make reading feel aspirational. Curated bundles, seasonal gift packages, and thoughtful design elements all contribute to the experience. The team also checks in with customers after purchases, building relationships that extend beyond a typical buyer-seller exchange.
Inspired in part by her own motherhood journey, Abasi expanded the store’s offerings to include curated baby book collections. From there, the brand grew to include adult coloring books and other book-adjacent products that promote reading as relaxation and self-care. For Abasi, reading is not just academic — it is cultural and deeply personal.
Community impact remains central to that vision. City Reads supports university initiatives, contributes to literacy efforts, and plans to partner on a program that will distribute books to 1,000 children this Christmas. “We feel like we’re in a position to give back more,” Abasi said.
Joining the MBC program marked a turning point. “Before MBC, I was running on intuition,” Abasi said. “Now, everything we do is informed.”
Through coursework in pricing, accounting, and strategic growth, she now tests expansion decisions more carefully, prioritizing the right moves over fast ones. Rather than expanding quickly into new cities, she focuses on research and sustainability.
Throughout the journey, one theme remains constant: customers come first. “When we price books, we think about our customers by name,” Abasi said. “We package with care. We create with them in mind.”
For aspiring African entrepreneurs, especially women founders and creatives building culturally relevant brands, City Reads is proof that purpose and profitability can coexist. What began in a spare bedroom with 50 books continues to grow — one reader at a time.
Learn more about City Reads Books & Stationery at cityreadsbookstore.com.
