Marva Allen Hue-Man’s Bookstore CEO

By Victoria Horsford

Marva Allen’s life has as many plot twists and turns as the books housed in her Harlem culture emporium, Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe, which is much beloved by C-Spans Book TV and best-selling authors such as President Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Dr. Cornel West,and Maya Angelou. A left brain/right brain phenom, Allen is equal parts entrepreneur, author, and visionary, who likes to see around corners and to keep her muses busy.

The more colorful Allen stories begin pretty straightforward, starting at one place, then veering off in the opposite direction. By 1982, she was graduated from the University of Michigan, (UOM), with a BS in biology and an MS in Health and Business Administration, and was enrolled at its medical school, when the fates intervened. She was sidetracked by her sister and brother in-law who wanted her to cut her entrepreneurial teeth and partner with them in a new, $25,000 computer tech franchise operation, in Southfield, Michigan.

Business trumped medical school. Allen says. “Our franchise business was outstanding for the first 4 to 5 years, outperforming area competitors, until we decided to de-franchise in 1988 and start our own company, Universal Solutions, Inc, USI, a computer tech firm, which evolved into a multi-million dollar business, and which regularly made Black Enterprise Magazine’s Top100 List.” She adds. “As president of USI, I made Crain’s Michigan’s “40 UNDER 40” List, was nominated as one of Michigan’s Top 100 Most Influential Women; lectured on business with the African American Women On Tour program; and invested in outside ventures, one of which now generates millions of dollars annually from clients like Bill Blass and Target.”

The USI was sold in 2003. Allen, then 47, retired from the business world and relocated to NY where she wanted to attend Columbia University and get an MFA in writing. NY represented a new beginning for her, a transition, with a more stable, static, predictable life. Wrong! Again, the fates intervened. When she read news accounts about the Black-owned Hue-Man Bookstore, a new cultural mecca, which opened in 2002 and boasted a large inventory of books by and for Black people, she would get an adrenalin rush. Initially, she frequented the store to sell her books, then later as a Saturday volunteer. She eventually met the HUE-MAN principals and was invited to come in as a partner, which she refused, for more than 6 months. She argued. “If I come out of retirement, it would have to make financial sense, from a risk point of view. I had the skills set but I was skeptical.” She eventually came aboard in 2004 as a major player, the Hue-Man managing partner/CEO.”
Today, the American book world is in a state of flux with sales traveling south and bookstores are closing. E-commerce – the new internet website stores - book sales outpace retail and book club sales. Hue-Man, located at 2319 Frederick Douglass Boulevard in the Harlem USA complex near 125 Street, has to compete with local street vendors, selling $7 hard covers as well as downtown book discount chains. But Allen dismisses doomsday scenarios, saying, “Hue-Man is a niche business and unsaturated. It’s an amazing time for us.” She allows that the mainstream book business is saturated. She continues. “Books are not going anywhere. Hue-Man is not just a bookstore, it is a cultural and community center; and it has a focus on literacy. We can bring and impact change. And we often rent our space for special events. Local street vendors are not real competitors in that they specialize in one genre” She declares. “We are just beginning. If I had my way, I’d have a Hue-Man on the corner of every urban city in this country.”

Allen prefers to look at growing the business and Hue-Man’s future, which involves a full-fledged e-commerce operation, akin to an amazon.com, a website catering to Black people and readers the world over. “It’s a business whose time has come.” She enthuses. “And the world, London’s Brixton, Paris’ Pigalle, becomes the Hue-Man market. We would stock and sell African Diasporan literature by all people of color - Anglophones, Francophones, and AfroLatinos. The e-commerce project requires $1.2 million to launch with state of the art technology and global marketing and branding. Allen awaits her own John Malone- BET’S Bob Johnson’s angel - to help get Hue-Man e-commerce off the ground. The fates and her muse work overtime towards this goal.

The peripatetic, Westmoreland, Jamaica-born Allen is one of four children born to a nurse and an accountant, which may explain her interest in medicine and business. She earned her first degree in England before coming to the U.S. where she earned two more degrees. However, she understands the import- ance of degrees in different disciplines which she believes enables people to see around corners and to view life in a non-linear way. Her universe is one where everything impacts on everything else. She has traveled extensively for business and visited most European and Middle Eastern capitals.

Marva Allen also has a life outside of the business world, including a son, who is also entrepreneurial. She says. “If I had my druthers, I’d have been a writer full time.” It is her only stress buster because it allows her freedoms to be schizophrenic without benefit of the white jacket and to live in the world of the imagination and to see around those corners she often references. A published author, who wrote two books, “Camouflage” and “Protégé,” which are contemporary women’s fiction, she has just finished her third novel. A reality-based, non-fiction book about business and how to lose millions in becoming an entrepreneur is on her writer’s drawing board. But at the end of the day she opted for business acknowledging, “I am a little bit of a coward and don’t like to be poor.”

The former partner of a book publishing company, Allen finds time for philanthropic pursuits. A member of the Board of Trustees of the St. Hope Leadership Academy, founded by NBA player Kevin Johnson; of LitWorld, an organization, which addresses worldwide literacy; and of the Melvin Van Peeples Foundation, which will host a major event at Hue-Man in November, Allen was one of three honorees at the NY Urban League’s prestigious 2008 Frederick Douglass Awards Dinner.

I predict that Allen’s next chapter will be about a B-School faculty appointment or even an English Literature faculty member.

 

The Links, Inc And Susan G. Komen For The Cure Welcome Gabrielle Union, Lalah Hathaway And Synthia Saint James As National Ambassadors Into The Circle Of Promise

Washington, DC - The Links, Incorporated and Susan G. Komen for the Cure recently hosted a luncheon benefiting Susan G. Komen Global Promise Fund initiatives in Ghana and the breast health needs of the Lower 9th Ward Clinic in New Orleans. In addition, Susan G. Komen for the Cure also celebrated the 25th Anniversary of its 5K Race Series in Washington, D.C. This is the largest series of 5K runs/fitness in the world. During the event, Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Circle of Promise campaign unveiled a signature painting by internationally acclaimed artist Synthia SAINT JAMES.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has also announced three new Komen Ambassadors, actress Gabrielle Union, artist Synthia Saint James and songstress Lalah Hathaway – each with different backgrounds and personal stories. The new ambassadors have joined with Eastern Area Director Dr. Bishetta Merritt of The Links, Inc. and Komen Ambassador Rene Syler, author and TV personality, to unite behind a cause that is empowering people around the globe to help end breast cancer forever.

“Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Circle of Promise campaign believes that every strong woman needs to have a strong support system,” said Katrina McGhee vice president of marketing for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “The advocates and ambassadors within Circle of Promise are that support system for their communities in the fight against breast cancer.” Launched in October 2007, the Circle of Promise campaign was created by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to educate, empower and mobilize the African-American community in the fight against breast cancer. Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Circle of Promise has joined forces with ESSENCE Magazine, Ford Motor Company and The Links, Incorporated to recruit 100,000 African-American women to join Circle of Promise and serve as local ambassadors within their communities.

Circle of Promise ambassadors help spread the message that more African-American women die from breast cancer than any other race despite being the least likely to be diagnosed with the disease. These ambassadors work nationally and within their communities to urge others within the African-American community to reclaim their health and register at circleofpromise.org. “All of us can influence the future of African Americans and help to eliminate breast cancer by making a promise to practice breast self awareness, promote early detection and get involved through the Circle of Promise in our own communities,” says Dr. Gwen Lee, national president of The Links, Inc.

Gabrielle Union -One of Hollywood’s leading African-American actresses, Gabrielle Union has secured starring roles, crossed racial lines, and is helping to pave the way for others. Her decision to partner with Circle of Promise comes from a passion that is very close to her heart.

Lalah Hathaway - The daughter of Donny Hathaway, one of the most influential soul artists of the 1970s, Lalah Hathaway is respected in her own right. She has developed a reputation as an artist with a unique and timeless sound, and as a gifted lyricist, who is emotionally in-tune with women from all backgrounds.

Synthia SAINT JAMES - is a multiple award winning artist, architectural designer, speaker, author and songwriter and now a Circle of Promise ambassador. She has gained international recognition for her work. She travels the world, inspiring people through speaking engagements, exhibitions, and unveilings.