Romance Bookstore Update: April 2026
There are now 272 physical romance bookstores worldwide; 12 new physical stores opened in April.
A belated Happy Independent Bookstore Day! To celebrate, I once again partnered with Forever Books to share a list of all the physical romance bookstore in the United States and Canada on Instagram (see post below).
Leading up to Independent Bookstore Day, I also asked my Instagram followers: which 10 U.S. states don’t currently have a physical romance bookstore?
The answer is:
Alabama (however, Blushing Books is opening in May in Huntsville!)
Delaware
Hawaii
Mississippi
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Dakota (I’ve since discovered Larkspur Daisy Books & Babies in Mandan, previously a baby store that has now shifted gears to focus on romance books as well)
South Dakota
Vermont
In the same post, I also shared the U.S. states with the most physical romance bookstores:
Texas - 17
California - 14
Florida - 14
Michigan - 8
New York - 8
North Carolina - 8
Pennsylvania - 8
Washington - 8
Georgia - 6
I’d also like to welcome a few new Supporters to the directory:
La Petite Mort Books in Cockeysville, Maryland, U.S.
Lantern & Lace in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia.
Sugar and Spice Book Co in Nashville, Tennessee.
Overview
According to my research, there are now 272 physical romance bookstores in 12 countries around the world, 189 (or 69%) of which are in the United States. A new country was added to this list this month, with the opening of The Dark Rose Emporium in Sweden!
If we also include online and pop-up romance bookstores, the total number of stores grows to 444 (317 or 71% of which are in the United States).
Growth of Physical Stores
So far in 2026, there has been a net increase of 46 physical romance bookstores worldwide (47 have opened, 1 has closed). In the United States specifically, there’s been a net increase of 36 physical romance bookstores.
Growth Rates
Worldwide
2022: 10 stores
2023: 33 stores, 230% increase (3.3x)
2024: 93 stores, 182% increase (2.8x)
2025: 226 stores, 143% increase (2.4x)
3-Year Growth Rate from 2023 to 2025: 585%
United States
2022: 5 stores
2023: 18 stores, 260% increase (3.6x)
2024: 66 stores, 267% increase (3.7x)
2025: 153 stores, 132% increase (2.3x)
3-Year Growth Rate from 2023 to 2025: 750%
Have you heard about the Insider version of the Romance Bookstore Directory?
It’s a new benefit for my annual paid subscribers.
These detailed updates are a benefit for paid subscribers (only US$5/month or US$50/year). Everyone can see the high-level numbers before the paywall, but you’ll need to subscribe for all the juicy details…including a list of all the upcoming romance bookstore openings! 🗓️
There are now 464 bookstores in the directory (including Coming Soon)—there was a net increase of 21 stores this month.
The following is a breakdown of bookstores by type: Physical, Online, Pop-up, and Coming Soon along with a list of ALL the recently opened and added stores in each category!
📌 Please note that these categories overlap—a store can categorized as multiple types. For example, a bookstore can be online and have pop-ups, with a physical location coming soon.