Things slowed down this spooky season, with just 5 openings in October—the lowest number of monthly openings so far this year. Two stores closed (more details below), bringing us to a total of 341 physical (brick-and-mortar) romance bookstores in the directory.
I also added a new country to the directory after discovering Star Crossed, an online romance bookstore based in Portugal!
Welcome to our three new directory supporters:
Currently, 31 of the 563 bookstores in the directory are Supporters—that’s only 5.5%. I’d love to see that number grow to at least 10% by the end of the year. If you own or work at a romance bookstore and are interested in becoming a Romance Bookstore Directory Supporter, learn how. It only costs US$5/month or US$50/year, plus you get access to lots of other helpful data.
Become a Romance Bookstore Directory Supporter!
Overview
According to my research, there are now 341 physical romance bookstores in 12 countries around the world, 240 (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 544 (390 or 72% of which are in the United States).
Growth of Physical Stores
So far in 2026, there has been a net increase of 106 physical romance bookstores worldwide (113 have opened, 7 have closed). In the United States specifically, there’s been a net increase of 79 physical romance bookstores (83 have opened, 4 have closed).
Growth Rates (as of October 31, 2026)
Worldwide
2022: 10 stores
2023: 33 stores, 230% increase (3.3x)
2024: 95 stores, 188% increase (2.9x)
2025: 235 stores, 147% increase (2.5x)
3-Year Growth Rate from 2023 to 2025: 612%
United States
2022: 5 stores
2023: 18 stores, 260% increase (3.6x)
2024: 68 stores, 278% increase (3.8x)
2025: 161 stores, 132% increase (2.4x)
3-Year Growth Rate from 2023 to 2025: 794%
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 563 bookstores in the directory (including Coming Soon).
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.