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It all started during the 2020 lockdown.
I have always been a voracious reader but it wasn't until the lockdown did I venture into the Romance genre. I fell in love with love. I think we all were looking for ways to escape our day to day to day indoors and reading was mine. I was able to spend more time exploring romance and its many aspects and I knew, at some point, I wanted to do something with this.
Since I was 13/14, I knew I wanted to run a bookstore. However, as someone who worked full-time their entire life, I knew it was something to strive for when it was time to retire. No matter what job I had, I always held onto the fact that I wanted a bookstore. Not just ANY bookstore but a bookstore meets cafe meet community space. After all, I am a nerd who likes nerd things and what's more fun than a bookstore where you can have tea and play Dungeons and Dragons? Anyway, my therapist decided to tell me "Why not now?" and I said, "You know, you're right!" So I spent the latter half of 2022 working towards making this dream a reality.
In February 2023, The Romance Era Bookshop was live. You may have seen me floating around downtown Vancouver (WA) doing various markets and pop-up events. Most of you might have met me at the Kindred Homestead Downtown Alley Flea which has been my constant market this year. I love doing that market as it allows me to meet some incredible people around town. And it's because of all of the incredible folks that pop by my booth to say hi, shop and ask "Do you have/when are you going to have a physical location" is why I am here today.
I October of 2023 I opened my door inside of a warehouse on 17th and Lincoln. And now, in June of 2024, I have outgrown that space.
Due to a lot of factors both with my shop and the space I'm in, I have decided it's time to find a new home. But I need help. And years of therapy have taught me it's okay to ask for it.
What does moving locations look like?
It looks like:
- Being ADA Accessible. I currently cannot play host to people who are in wheelchairs or need ramps etc because I am on the second floor. I am looking for a place on ground level with ample room to move around.
- Hosting book clubs with a larger capacity. I feel bad that not everyone can come to my clubs due to room. But with a new space, I can welcome more of you!
- Being able to host events without having to move other people's stuff around to make room for it.
- Being able to add more inventory.
There is so much more I want to do that the little cozy room in the warehouse cannot give me.
If you've been a customer or have supported me in any capacity and you can, I'd love your help today!
While a bigger space means a lot for me, it means a lot for all of you too and I really want to continue to bring this space I've created to the city in a bigger capacity.