We had the good fortune of connecting with Adjwoa “Adgy” Tyehimba and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adjwoa “Adgy”, what do you attribute your success to?
Community Support. We treat the DFW community with love & respect and they repay us by supporting our business. Even throughout the COVID-19 madness, our customers near & far have kept us lifted above rough waters. I would also give credit to my mother & two younger brothers. Since we are a family operated business, everyone does their part. If it were all on one person we would fail.

What should our readers know about your business?
Hola! The Pan-African Connection Bookstore & Resource Center is a small-local-family ran business. This past December we celebrated (quietly) our 30th Anniversary. What sets us apart? We’re also a African Art Gallery, Mini Beauty Supply, Even Center, and a place where people from all walks of life can feel comfortable and accepted. We also cater & help small businesses with our Ubuntu Sundays that will re-start once “Rona” allows people to feel safe & comfortable. How did we get here? My late Father, Bandele Tyehimba started this bookstore 30 years ago, at the time of opening he still worked for Boeing late at nights. For him it wasn’t easy but it was something our people needed. At the time black bookstores were on the rise. In 2020, you can count black bookstores on your hands. So easy? Not at all, when you have to compete with larger online bookstores that sell books for cheaper prices & etc. Lessons Learned? You have to be consistent and treat all people with respect. Also, as a bookstore you HAVE to offer more than books or you will not survive. I want the world to know that small bookstores still need your support and that having a hard copy of a book is 100x better than having it online.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite days to go out in Dallas are Sundays . On a perfect Sunday we would wake up around 10am, take a jog at White Rock Lake, grab The Vegan “Chicken & Rice” from Recipe Oak Cliff, take a mini nap and get ready to head to Pan-African Connection for Sunday Drum Circle, stop by the house for a shower & outfit change, head to uptown to enjoy a “Crownholders” Day Party & head to Glorias on Lemmon for dinner. Sounds like a full day but its so much fun. Other things we would do: DMA Museum, Dallas Farmers Market, Ubutu Market, Six Flags, Black Canvas Poetry Night, Pool Party at The W, Gun Range, Shopping at Northpark, If September The State Fair (Gram/PV Weekend), Bar hop in Deep Ellum, and enjoy late night eats at Velvet Taco.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a S/O to the whole State of Texas, my father Bandele Tyehimba”(RIP), my mother “Mrs.Akwete” , My brothers Bamabata & Sekou, anyone who’s donated their time to work/volunteer, My best friends, Instagram friends, Facebook Family, so pretty much everyone. 🙂

Website: panafricanconnection.com
Instagram: @Pac_Dallas
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adjwoa-hogue-a488a7132/
Twitter: N/A
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pan-African-Connection-104267382937373/?eid=ARDWIAGqA_AA0wHnq6UcXuCWyLLhImQByhuajUbxMj25YK3a-Xk37EyIjBQ4A80pGo8RWLYIVENdDjYM
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pan-african-connection-dallas