Clara Villarosa facts for kids

Clara Villarosa is an amazing American entrepreneur, author, and publisher. She is also a motivational speaker who inspires many people. Clara helped start Villarosa Media. She also created 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.

Clara wrote a book called Down to Business: The First 10 Steps to Entrepreneurship for Women. This book was even nominated for an NAACP Image Award! She also founded the African American Booksellers Association. In 2016, she co-founded Villarosa Media with her daughters, Linda and Alicia Villarosa. This company helps publish books by Black authors.

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 earned a master's degree in social work from Loyola University.

After her studies, Clara worked as a psychiatric social worker. She helped people at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago until 1959. Then, she became a full-time mom. Her family later moved to Denver, Colorado. There, Clara became a chief psychiatric social worker at Denver's Children's Hospital. She even became the director of that department! Clara also studied law at the University of Denver. During this time, she worked at United Bank of Denver. She eventually became a Vice President there.

Building Bookstores

Clara Villarosa has a passion for books and business. She opened her first bookstore, the Hue-Man Experience Bookstore, in Denver in 1984. This store became a special place for many people.

Moving to Harlem

After 16 years, Clara sold her Denver bookstore in 2000. She then moved to New York City. There, she opened a new store called Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe in Harlem, New York. This new store was very large. It had a huge collection of books by African-American authors. It was located close to the famous Apollo Theatre. The Harlem store became the biggest African-American bookstore in the country!

Many famous people visited and held events at the store. These included former President Bill Clinton, author Terry McMillan, writer James Baldwin, General Colin Powell, musician Wynton Marsalis, and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. The amazing Maya Angelou even read at the store's opening event.

Starting Villarosa Media

In January 2016, when she was 85 years old, Clara started a new company. She co-founded Villarosa Media with her daughters, Linda and Alicia Villarosa. This company helps publish new books from well-known Black authors. They also re-release classic books in digital formats. This means you can get them as e-books or print-on-demand copies. Their first book was The Wind Is Spirit: The Life, Love and Legacy of Audre Lorde.

Other Important Work

Clara Villarosa has done a lot of other important work. She founded the African American Booksellers Association. This group helps support bookstores that focus on African-American literature. As of 2017, she is on the board of trustees for the University of Denver. She has also served on other important boards. These include the Colorado Small Business Development Center and the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center.

Books by Clara Villarosa

• Down to Business: The First 10 Steps to Entrepreneurship for Women (2009)
• The Words of African-American Heroes (2011)

See Also

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