Romance Bookstore Update: February 2026

There are now 250 physical romance bookstores worldwide; 16 new physical stores opened in February.

According to my research, there are now 250 physical romance bookstores in 11 countries around the world, 172 (or 69%) of which are in the United States.

If we also include online and pop-up romance bookstores, the total number of stores grows to 410 (290 or 71% of which are in the United States).

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 429 bookstores in the directory (including Coming Soon)—14 were added in February.

The following is a breakdown of bookstores by type: Physical, Online, Pop-up, and Coming Soon along with a list of ALL the recently added and updated stores in each category! This includes some new charts as well. 📊

📌 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.