Directory of online, physical and pop-up romance bookstores, plus a handy map of physical bookstores. Select multiple filters to narrow down your search. Contact me to submit a bookstore.
Romance bookstores seem to be popping up everywhere these days. After years of being relegated to one shelf in a dark corner of general bookstores, romance books are now taking centre stage at new bookstores dedicated entirely to the romance genre.
Numbers updated as of April 12, 2025
According to my research for this directory, there are at least 103 physical romance bookstores around the world, the majority of which are in the United States:
If we also include online and pop-up romance bookstores, the total number of stores grows to 161.
By the end of 2024, there were 59 physical romance bookstores in the United States—up an astonishing 1375% (14.75x) from 4 physical bookstores in 2022. We’re currently three months into 2025 and another 16 romance bookstores have already opened, with another 8 scheduled to open sometime this year.
While the most dramatic growth has been in the United States, the growth in physical romance bookstores worldwide has also been significant. Over the same two-year period from 2022 to 2024, the number of romance bookstores around the world increased 913% (10x) from 8 to 81. Another 22 have opened so far in 2025, with another 13 scheduled to open later this year.
"The Romance Era Book Shop is my love letter to a genre that started with Scholastic Book Fairs and fanfiction and has grown tenfold. It is my way of giving back to people who help others with their words. It's a space meant to feel like a cozy room at your friends house...Since I am not a writer myself, I wanted the space to be more than just making money selling books. I wanted it to foster community."
– Ren Rice, Owner of The Romance Era Bookshop
Hi, I'm Lady Jane, a Romance Book Data Analyst. I combine my love of romances books and spreadsheets by creating charts, graphs, lists and rankings, all about romance! Follow me on Instagram to learn more.
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