Triciah Claxton and Alanna Ramirez
A Bronx-born, community-centered bookselling business built on a simple belief: reading is freedom, joy, power, and a right, not a privilege.
The Spark
Lifelong friends Triciah Claxton and Alanna Ramirez founded Loc'd and Lit in 2020, rooted in a shared love of literature, culture, and community. They believe that reading is freedom, joy, power, and a right, not a privilege.
What began as a friendship fueled by a love of books has grown into a mission to make literature more accessible, celebrate underrepresented voices, and create meaningful literary experiences for readers of all ages. As two millennial women with locs and Caribbean roots in Antigua and Nevis, their sisterhood, lived experiences, and deep connection to the Bronx shape everything they do.
“Reading is power and knowledge is power. And it shouldn't be gatekept.”
A Bookstore Without Walls
Through their bookstore without walls model, Triciah and Alanna bring books directly into the community: pop-up bookstores, book giveaways, monthly book clubs, author events, and strategic partnerships.
They are especially passionate about championing Black and BIPOC authors, independent writers, and culturally authentic stories that reflect the richness and diversity of their communities. Readers deserve to see themselves in the stories they read, discover perspectives beyond their own, and experience the joy and possibilities that literature creates. They are building more than a bookselling business: they are cultivating readers, amplifying voices, creating connections, and making literacy a community-centered movement.
Forged in Challenge
Running a bookstore without walls means every sale, event, and partnership has to be built by hand, in a borough that platforms and publishers routinely overlook. In June 2025 the challenge got sharper: the business's Instagram and related accounts were hacked, cutting off the main channel the company runs on, right in the middle of the summer season.
They kept hosting events anyway, won the accounts back by fall, and came out of it with a clearer push toward channels they own: their own online store, their mailing list, and the institutional relationships that do not disappear with a password.
The Vision Ahead
Their long-term vision is to establish a permanent neighborhood bookstore in the Bronx: a welcoming literary home for children, families, and readers of all ages, where books, culture, and community intersect. Until then, they continue to meet readers where they are, proving that a bookstore doesn't need four walls to make a lasting impact.