Romance Bookstore Update: May 2026
There are now 276 physical romance bookstores worldwide; 4 new physical stores opened in May.
In May, my bookstore data was featured in a story by SFGATE about the opening of the The Love Potion Library in San Francisco! The story also mentioned several other romance bookstores (see my Instagram post below).
In other news, I’ve added a listing of physical romance bookstores that have closed in 2025 and 2026 to my subscriber-only calendar (you can find the link below).
I’d also like to welcome two new Supporters of the directory:
X&O Books, coming soon to Cypress, Texas
XO Book Co., coming soon to Wellington, New Zealand.
Become a Romance Bookstore Directory Supporter!
Overview
According to my research, there are now 276 physical romance bookstores in 12 countries around the world, 193 (or 70%) of which are in the United States.
If we also include online and pop-up romance bookstores, the total number of stores grows to 452 (324 or 72% of which are in the United States).
Growth of Physical Stores
So far in 2026, there has been a net increase of 49 physical romance bookstores worldwide (53 have opened, 4 have closed). In the United States specifically, there’s been a net increase of 39 physical romance bookstores.
Growth Rates (as of May 31, 2026)
Worldwide
2022: 10 stores
2023: 33 stores, 230% increase (3.3x)
2024: 94 stores, 185% increase (2.8x)
2025: 227 stores, 141% increase (2.4x)
3-Year Growth Rate from 2023 to 2025: 588%
United States
2022: 5 stores
2023: 18 stores, 260% increase (3.6x)
2024: 67 stores, 272% increase (3.7x)
2025: 154 stores, 130% increase (2.3x)
3-Year Growth Rate from 2023 to 2025: 756%
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 romance bookstore openings and closings! 🗓️
There are now 475 bookstores in the directory (including Coming Soon)—there was a net increase of 11 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.