How Angie Nixon's Jacksonville bookstore explains her Senate campaign

State Rep. Angie Nixon made national headlines this week after her upset win in Florida's Democratic U.S. Senate primary. But long before Tuesday's results, Nixon was already a familiar name in Jacksonville — not just as a lawmaker, but as the owner of a neighborhood bookstore and cafe.

Cafe Resistance, Nixon's bookstore and coffee shop which regularly offers a space for various community events, is just one piece of the puzzle for Nixon's mission to serve and improve the Jacksonville community and Florida at large.

Who is Angie Nixon?

Angie Nixon is a Jacksonville native and Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, where she has served since 2020.

She became the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Florida after defeating retired Army Lt. Col.

Alex Vindman in Tuesday's primary, setting up a November general election against Republican incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody.

Beyond her legislative work, Nixon is also a Jacksonville small business owner of a bookstore and coffee shop called Cafe Resistance in Northwest Jacksonville.

What is Cafe Resistance?

Cafe Resistance is a combined bookstore and cafe that Nixon opened in Jacksonville with the goal of improving access to books in her community.

Cafe Resistance aims to “teach people history, particularly Black history, and offer up space for marginalized voices that are seeing challenges,” Nixon previously told the Times-Union.

The store has a diverse selection of books, including many that have been banned from schools by state legislature.

The store is partly a community hub, Nixon said. This includes partnering with a health organization to offer informational sessions on diabetes, heart health and mental health.

Why did Angie Nixon open a bookstore?

Nixon said she was motivated by a desire to expand access to books and ideas in a part of Jacksonville that has historically had fewer resources.

"It's going to allow people to learn more and be exposed to ideas and different cultures and different things in general," she said when discussing the store in the past. "I just want to empower people."

She has also framed the shop as a matter of neighborhood equity, saying residents of Northwest Jacksonville "deserve nice things" and shouldn't have to settle for less.

Where is Cafe Resistance located?

Cafe Resistance is located in Northwest Jacksonville, an area Nixon has represented in the state Legislature and which has faced food insecurity and a heavy concentration of fast-food options rather than healthier alternatives.

Does Cafe Resistance serve food, or just books and coffee?

Alongside its book selection, Cafe Resistance operates a full cafe menu that includes salads, sandwiches and coffee. Nixon has said offering healthier food options was a deliberate choice, given the lack of nutritious dining options in the surrounding neighborhood.

She also has described the shop as a community hub as much as a retail space, and it has partnered with a local health organization to host informational sessions on diabetes, heart health and mental health.

The store also offers free tutoring and free music lessons for students in the neighborhood.

When did Angie Nixon open Cafe Resistance?

Cafe Resistance opened in 2024, during a time when nearly 700 books were "removed or discontinued" from public schools across Florida, according to the state's Department of Education.

Nixon, a Jacksonville native, said at the time that it was crucial to ensure the community maintained access to diverse ideas and sources.

How does Cafe Resistance fit into Nixon's message?

Nixon's supporters have pointed to her sociology of community-building — through both her legislative work and physical labor with Cafe Resistance — as core to her political identity heading into the general election.

Her ownership of Cafe Resistance offers a local, on-the-ground example of that framing, years before it became a talking point in a statewide race.

Nixon will face Sen. Ashley Moody in the November general election, in a contest that could make her the first Black person elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: How Angie Nixon's Jacksonville bookstore explains her Senate campaign