Katrina Brooks is the founder and president of Put It In A Book and the owner of Black Pearl Books, a Black woman-owned independent Austin-based bookstore dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, and representation through literature. She launched Black Pearl Books in 2019 as a pop-up and quickly grew it into a thriving brick-and-mortar business, co-run with her husband.
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Driven by faith, creativity, and a deep belief in the power of books to transform lives, Katrina brings years of business, marketing, and public relations experience to her work. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Clark Atlanta University and an MBA in marketing from the University of Texas at Dallas.
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Prior to launching Black Pearl Books, Katrina worked in corporate communications, ran her own PR consultancy, and owned both an interior design firm and a vintage retail shop. Her entrepreneurial journey is fueled by a passion for education, equity, and service. A lifelong volunteer, Katrina now extends her bookstore’s mission through her nonprofit, Put It In A Book.
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Originally from Chicago, Katrina lives in Austin with her husband and two teenagers.
