Clara Villarosa facts for kids

Clara Villarosa is an American businesswoman, writer, and publisher. She is known for starting Villarosa Media with her daughters. She also founded the famous Hue-Man Bookstores in Denver, Colorado, and Harlem, New York. These bookstores were among the most successful African-American bookstores in the United States for many years.

Her book, Down to Business: The First 10 Steps to Entrepreneurship for Women, was nominated for a special award called the NAACP Image Award. Clara also started the African American Booksellers Association. In 2016, she was featured in the film, Dream, Girl.

Clara's Early Life and Education

Clara Villarosa was born in 1930 and grew up in Chicago. She studied at Roosevelt University, earning a bachelor's degree in education and psychology. Later, she received a master's degree in social work from Loyola University.

After her studies, she worked as a psychiatric social worker at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago until 1959. She then became a full-time mother. Her family later moved to Denver, Colorado. There, Clara became the chief psychiatric social worker at Denver's Children's Hospital. She later became the director of that department.

Clara continued her education at the University of Denver. She studied in the Graduate School of Social Work Doctoral Program and the College of Law. During this time, she also worked at the United Bank of Denver. She became the Vice President of Human Resources and Strategic Planning there.

Starting Her Own Businesses

In 1984, Clara Villarosa opened her first bookstore, the Hue-Man Experience Bookstore, in Denver. After 16 successful years, she sold the Denver store in 2000.

She then moved to New York City and opened the Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe in Harlem. This new store had a large collection of books by African-American authors. It was located near the famous Apollo Theatre and became the largest African-American bookstore in the country. Many famous people visited the store, including former President Bill Clinton, Terry McMillan, James Baldwin, Colin Powell, Wynton Marsalis, and Toni Morrison. Maya Angelou even read at the store's opening event.

In January 2016, when she was 85 years old, Clara co-founded Villarosa Media. She started this company with her daughters, Linda and Alicia Villarosa. Villarosa Media publishes new books by well-known Black authors. They also re-release classic books in digital formats, making them available for print on demand. Their first book was The Wind Is Spirit: The Life, Love and Legacy of Audre Lorde.

Other Important Work

Clara Villarosa has also served on many important boards. As of January 2017, she was on the board of trustees for the University of Denver. She founded the African American Booksellers Association. She also served on the boards of the Colorado Small Business Development Center, the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, and the New Federal Theatre.

Books by Clara Villarosa

• Down to Business: The First 10 Steps to Entrepreneurship for Women (2009), Penguin, ISBN: 1101139927
• The Words of African-American Heroes (2011), HarperCollins, ISBN: 1557049823

See Also

• NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Instructional
• List of women writers