Romance Bookstore Update: May 2025
There are now 108 physical romance bookstores around the world, 82 (or 76%) of which are in the United States.
There continues to be a steady stream of new stores and updates since I launched the Romance Bookstore Directory, so I’ve decided to write monthly updates to keep y’all informed!
This first update is free for all subscribers, but moving forward these detailed updates will be a benefit for paid subscribers (only US$5/month or US$50/year).
Overview
According to my research, there are now 108 physical romance bookstores in nine countries around the world, 82 (or 76%) of which are in the United States.
If we also include online and pop-up romance bookstores, the total number of stores grows to 178.
There are a total of 189 bookstores in the directory—20 have been added since my April update.
The following is a breakdown of bookstores by type: Physical, Pop-up, Online, and Coming Soon along with lists of the recently 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.
Physical Stores
Romance bookstores with a physical/bricks-and-mortar location
🌎 TOTAL WORLDWIDE: 108
(Net ↑ of 5 from April: 7 added, 2 closed)
Breakdown by Country:
🇺🇸 United States: 82 (↑ 7 from April)
🇦🇺 Australia: 13 (↓ 1 from April)
🇨🇦 Canada: 5
🇳🇿 New Zealand: 2 (↓ 1 from April)
🇫🇷 France: 2
🇧🇪 Belgium: 1
🇩🇪 Germany: 1
🇳🇱 Netherlands: 1
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 1
🇺🇸 US Stores by Region (82):
Northeast: 9 (11%)
Midwest: 19 (23%)
South: 32 (39%)
West: 20 (24%)
Territory: 2 (3%)
Growth of Physical Stores
By the end of 2024, there were 82 physical romance bookstores worldwide—up 925% from 8 physical bookstores in 2022. So far there has been a net increase of 26 physical romance bookstores in 2025 (28 have opened, 2 have closed).
When we look specifically at the United States, the growth has been even more dramatic. Over the same two-year period from 2022 to 2024, the number of romance bookstores in the US increased 1400% from 4 to 60. So far another 22 new romance bookstores have opened in the US this year.
RECENTLY ADDED
📚 Physical Bookstores
📚 Love Stories Romance Bookstore
Location: Warr Acres, Oklahoma 🇺🇸
Type: Physical
Opened: September 14, 2024 (only recently found this one!)
📚 The Broken Spine
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 🇺🇸
Type: Physical, Online
Opened: March 1, 2025
📚 Cupid’s Bookshop
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 🇺🇸
Type: Physical
Opened: April 24, 2025
📚 Shelf Love (Atlanta)
Location: Austell, Georgia 🇺🇸
Type: Physical, Online
Opened: May 10, 2025
📚 Mon Coeur Books
Location: Canton Township, Michigan 🇺🇸
Type: Physical
Opened: May 20, 2025
📚 Thirst Books
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin 🇺🇸
Type: Physical
Opened: May 24, 2025
📚 Pink Couch Books
Location: Wilmette, Illinois 🇺🇸
Type: Physical
Opened: May 31, 2025
🛑 CLOSED / CLOSING
Physical Bookstores
🛑 CLOSED: Shelf Lovers
Location: Wooloowin, Queensland 🇦🇺
Change: Physical location closed April 20, 2025. Currently deciding next steps.
🛑 CLOSED: Mystique Bookstore (Removed from directory)
Location: Waimate, Canterbury 🇳🇿
Change: Both physical and online store closed as of May 31, 2025.
🛑 CLOSING: The Romance Era Bookshop
Location: Vancouver, Washington 🇺🇸
Change: Physical location closing June 30, 2025. Online store will stay open, with Book Mobile coming Spring 2026.
Pop-up Stores
Romance bookstores that are mobile and appear in various locations
🌎 TOTAL WORLDWIDE: 44
Breakdown by Country:
🇺🇸 United States: 36 (82%)
🇨🇦 Canada: 5 (11%)
🇦🇺 Australia: 2 (5%)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 1 (2%)
RECENTLY ADDED
🚗 Pop-up Bookstores
🚗 The Fleuria Romance Book Truck
Location: Los Angeles, California 🇺🇸
Type: Pop-up, Online
🚗 Love & Legends Books
Location: New York City, New York 🇺🇸
Type: Pop-up, Online
🚗 Love & Lore Mobile Bookstore
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia 🇨🇦
Type: Pop-up
🚗 Sugar and Spice Book Co
Location: Nashville, Tennessee 🇺🇸
Type: Pop-up
Online Stores
Romance bookstores that operate online
🌎 TOTAL WORLDWIDE: 115
Breakdown by Country:
🇺🇸 United States: 71 (62%)
🇦🇺 Australia: 25 (22%)
🇨🇦 Canada: 12 (10%)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 5 (4%)
🇫🇷 France: 2 (1%)
RECENTLY ADDED
📲 Online Bookstores
📲 Petrichor and Pages
Location: Brisbane, Queensland 🇦🇺
Type: Online
📲 Romantique Books
Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland 🇺🇸
Type: Online
📲 Bookspot Cafe has changed its name to Spellbound Stories Bookstore.
Coming Soon Stores
Romance bookstores that are planning to open soon
🌎 TOTAL WORLDWIDE: 21 (↑ 8 from April)
Breakdown by Type:
Physical: 18
Online: 2
Pop-up: 1
Breakdown by Country:
🇺🇸 United States: 15 (70%)
🇦🇺 Australia: 2 (10%)
🇨🇦 Canada: 2 (10%)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 2 (10%)
RECENTLY ADDED
🔜 Coming Soon Bookstores
🔜 FMC Books
Location: Missoula, Montana 🇺🇸
Type: Physical
Estimated Opening: June 6, 2025
🔜 Ash & Vale
Location: New London, Ohio 🇺🇸
Type: Physical
Estimated Opening: June 7, 2025
🔜 The Romance Shelf
Location: California 🇺🇸
Type: Online
Estimated Opening: June 11, 2025
🔜 Novella Books
Location: Maine 🇺🇸
Type: Pop-up
Estimated opening: June 16, 2025
🔜 Saucy Books
Location: London, England 🇬🇧
Type: Physical
Estimated Opening: June 16, 2025
🔜 Read My Lips Bookshop (Birmingham)
Opening a second location
Location: Birmingham, Michigan 🇺🇸
Type: Physical
Estimated Opening: TBD
🔜 A Second Chance Romance
Location: Appleton, Wisconsin 🇺🇸
Type: Physical (Online and Pop-up already open)
Estimated Opening: TBD
🔜 Shelf Love DSM
Location: Des Moines, Iowa 🇺🇸
Type: Physical (Pop-up already open)
Estimated Opening: TBD
💜 Happy reading!