I Knew I Wanted to Invest Back Into Puritan: Jerjuan Howard’s Next Chapter, Howard Family Bookstore

“As you know, literacy rates in Detroit are low… we needed a third space,” Jerjuan Howard says, and that conviction powers this special on-location episode of Detroit is Different from inside the Howard Family Bookstore. Raised in this very community, Jerjuan takes listeners into a vision rooted in memory, mission, and neighborhood love as he shares how a boarded-up building at 13803 Puritan Ave became a living dream through patience, craftsmanship, and collective support. “When I came home from college… I knew I wanted to invest back into Puritan,” he explains, connecting this bookstore to the same community-centered energy that has driven his work with Umoja Village and the Umoja Debate League. More than a place to buy books, this emerging space is being shaped as an essential Black Detroit third space for coffee, tea, poetry, youth discovery, local authors, and everyday connection. With stories of legacy, literacy, ownership, and the power of neighbors building with their own hands, this conversation captures both the past and future of community on Puritan—just weeks before the grand opening on April 25, 2026 at 11 a.m.