The Rise of Romance Bookstores
UPDATED: According to my research, there are currently 103 physical romance bookstores around the world, 75 of which are in the United States.
Originally published March 13, 2025
Updated April 12, 2025
Romance bookstores seem to be popping up everywhere these days. After years of being relegated to one shelf in a dark corner of general bookstores, romance books are now taking centre stage at new bookstores dedicated entirely to the genre.
Last summer, The New York Times reported that: “Over the last two years, the country went from having two dedicated romance bookstores—The Ripped Bodice and Love’s Sweet Arrow, in Chicago—to a national network of more than 20.”
Seeing this trend, I decided to create a directory of romance bookstores—first, as a helpful resource for romance readers and, second, to get my hands on some data! It turns out the number of romance bookstores is even greater than news stories to date have reported.
Number of Romance Bookstores
Note: I’m still discovering romance bookstores that opened in 2024, so will continue to update these numbers (including the growth rates).
According to my research, there are at least 103 physical romance bookstores in 9 countries around the world, the majority of which are in the United States:
United States: 75
Australia: 14
Canada: 5
New Zealand: 3
France: 2
Belgium: 1
Germany: 1
Netherlands: 1
United Kingdom: 1
If we also include online and pop-up romance bookstores, the total number of stores grows to 161.
Numbers as of April 12, 2025
Growth of Romance Bookstores
By the end of 2024, there were 59 physical romance bookstores in the United States—up an astonishing 1375% (14.75x) from 4 physical bookstores in 2022. We’re currently three and half months into 2025 and 16 new romance bookstores have already opened, with another 8 scheduled to open sometime this year.
While the most dramatic growth has been in the United States, the growth in physical romance bookstores worldwide has also been significant. Over the same two-year period from 2022 to 2024, the number of romance bookstores around the world increased 913% (10x) from 8 to 81. So far 22 have opened in 2025, with another 13 scheduled to open later this year.
Numbers as of April 12, 2025
Note: I’ve defined romance bookstores as a bookstore that has a significant focus on selling romance books, either stated in their description or demonstrated by the stock they carry. Not all the bookstores sell only romance, some carry one or two other genres. For example, Chills and Thrills Bookshop sells both romance and thrillers. I’ve also included Turn the Page Bookstore (run by Nora Robert’s husband), which carries the complete collection of Nora Roberts many romance books.
Why Romance Bookstores?
The boom in romance bookstores makes sense given the current trends in publishing sales. In 2024, growth in print book sales was led by adult fiction, with units rising 4.8%. Fantasy (including Romantasy) and Romance had the biggest sales increases in the adult segment, up 35.8% and 9%, respectively.
From these genres, authors Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and Colleen Hoover accounted for 6 of the year’s top 10 bestsellers, each landing two books on the list (see titles in bold below, data from Circana BookScan via Publishers Weekly).
Note: Many romance readers don’t consider Colleen Hoover books to be romance, but they are generally categorized that way.
Top 10 Bestsellers 2024 (Circana Bookscan)
The Women by Kristin Hannah
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The Scarlet Shedder (Dog Man #12) by Dav Pilkey
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Atomic Habits by James Clear
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
A Curated Experience
Part of the attraction is that romance bookstores also offer a unique experience for book lovers.
In general, romance bookstores:
Offer a curated selection of books that cater to different types of romance readers.
Foster a sense of community by hosting book clubs, author signings, and themed events where readers can connect.
Support independent/self-published and lesser-known authors, highlighting stories that might not get seen in regular bookstores.
Display beautiful décor that is visually appealing, making the spaces feel warm and welcoming.
What do you like best about romance bookstores?
"The Romance Era Book Shop is my love letter to a genre that started with Scholastic Book Fairs and fanfiction and has grown tenfold. It is my way of giving back to people who help others with their words. It's a space meant to feel like a cozy room at your friends house...Since I am not a writer myself, I wanted the space to be more than just making money selling books. I wanted it to foster community."
– Ren Rice, Owner of The Romance Era Bookshop
Romance Bookstore Directory
After compiling the list of romance bookstores, I created a directory and map as a resource for romance readers. The directory can be easily searched, and filtered by type of bookstore, country, and region for the United States and Australia. Check out the video below for a quick demo of how to use the directory.
A few readers have told me they plan to use the map to plan a romance bookstore road trip—how fun!! 💜
If you know of any romance bookstores that are missing from the directory or will be opening soon, please let me know in the comments!
Happy reading! 💜
Looks like I have a list to join!
I love this! And my city made the map!!