Romance Roadtrip: Lovestruck Books & Cafe (Cambridge, MA)
By: Sara Shahein
Edited by: Emilee Saigh
Hop out readers, we’ve arrived at our next destination: Lovestruck Books & Cafe in Cambridge, MA. Lovestruck brings together all of Rachel’ (Lovestruck owner) favorites: books, coffee, wine, and community. In this interview, we talk about owning a bookstore and the community Lovestruck cultivates.
Meet Cute
Sara: To start us off, tell me a little bit about Lovestruck; how long have you been open and how long have you been in the Cambridge area?
Rachel: We just celebrated our one-year anniversary! We opened December 18, 2024, which is kind of a crazy time to open a new store, but it’s been an incredible year. We are a big store, we have a cafe and wine bar that’s run by George Howell Coffee, which is a local coffee roaster. We are about 5,000 square-feet and mostly romance, but we also have a children’s section. We have a general fiction and nonfiction section as well and a really robust gift section.
Photo credit: Reagan Bryne
Sara: What was the thought behind joining a bookstore and cafe?
Rachel: I thought, how can I have romance books and coffee and snacks and wine all together?
Basically, I just wanted all of my favorite things in one place. I wasn’t alone in wanting that; the response has been really great. Also, I think we are seeing bookstores with cafes because, candidly, the margins are so much better on a cafe than they are on a bookstore. Definitely it helps with revenue, and then, for us specifically at Lovestruck, I really wanted to create an environment that was welcoming and encouraged people to stay and linger and talk to each other. Having a cafe has really helped enhance the experience and allow people to stay longer. It’s been a really great piece of the overall experience.
Sara: I love that! I love the idea of having all your favorite things in one spot.
Rachel: Yeah, I feel like there is always a trend of the ‘feminine urge to open a bookstore that’s also a cafe, that’s also a florist shop, etc. etc,’ And that’s essentially what I did.
Sara: Exactly! All of the Hallmark movie occupations in one.
Rachel: Absolutely.
Sara: So, why romance? What made you want to own a bookstore focused on the Romance genre?
Rachel: I have always been a big romance reader. It was kind of my dirty little secret growing up, then as I got older I became more and more overt about it.
I’m sure you’re aware of this, but romance is having a really big moment. It is essentially single-handedly resuscitating the publishing industry, and it has been really incredible to watch. So, when I was thinking about opening a bookstore, I really wanted to focus on stories that were happy and hopeful, especially in a moment like this. I think people want that kind of escapism and in part, I really wanted to debunk the idea that romance is not as serious or valuable as a literary genre. I have seen both incredible emotion and artist depth in terms of the kinds of books that are getting written. It’s becoming more and more diverse and inclusive. I think romance is really one of the best ways to grapple with some of the social issues people are facing, questions about consent, bodily autonomy, gender identity, and I mean, these are all things contemporary romance authors are grappling with. I think as a genre, it really should be taken seriously, and I increasingly think it is, and I think publishers are seeing that and paying attention to it. I am also sort of part of the trend of romance bookstores popping up across the country. When I first started thinking about doing this a couple of years ago, there were fewer than 20 romance bookstores in the country, and now there are more than 180 the last time I checked.
Sara: Oh wow!
Rachel: And that is just in the last two years. I think people are looking for places to gather and they’re looking for community.
The romance community is an inclusive and welcoming community that is excited to be together in person and online, especially events, author events, or opportunities to come together for book clubs, and to share their favorite authors. I think people have been responding really well to having a place that celebrates this thing that for a long time was kind of looked down upon.
Photo credit: Reagan Bryne
Sara: Yeah, and I think sometimes it sort of still is. You mentioned before that reading romance was a bit of your dirty little secret and now more people are outspoken about it and open online about reading romance, and I think it’s because there is such a beautiful community surrounding and supporting each other. Unfortunately, some people are still met with others thinking romance is just fluff and undermining it. As a bookstore owner, how do you show up for your community in Boston?
Rachel: Yeah absolutely. I mean it’s funny, people often ask me ‘why did you open up in Harvard Square of all places?’ And I’m like the juxtaposition was intentional.
First of all, I went to Harvard and I went to Yale. I read these books and lots of people who go to elite universities read these kinds of books, and it's in part because it provides this mental escape from the pressures of day-to-day pressures of life. I think it’s actually really valuable having it adjacent to these intense cultural institutions. In terms of how I’m showing up, I mean honestly, the numbers and popularity speak for themselves. It’s gotten to the point, within the book world, and I have found, at least talking to other bookstores about this, I have found increasingly that romance is here to stay. These are important authors that stores should be paying attention to and increasingly are paying attention to, and I think it’s giving the community a chance to show up, and I think that speaks for itself. When we’re selling out 500-person venues to see a romantasy author, I think that debunks the idea that this is not important, that this is not a cultural phenomenon, and that these books don’t matter. I mean, clearly they matter when you have this many people coming.
Sara: I love that! The proof is in the pudding.
Rachel: Yeah, and also I think increasingly what’s been so amazing for me to see in getting to meet so many of these authors is that many of them are using their success and their platforms to talk about other issues that are important to them.
Julia Quinn, who wrote the Bridgerton series, is really involved with making sure book bans are being fought back against, so she supports EveryLibrary, which basically helps libraries resist book bans. That’s just one example, but a lot of these authors again are really using these platforms to talk about important contemporary issues.
Sara: I’m in the library field, so book bans are rough and scary.
Rachel: It is horrifying!
Photo credit: Reagan Bryne
Sara: It’s nice to see authors supporting libraries and fighting against book bans. My next question: Why Lovestruck as a name?
Rachel: It kind of evokes this idea that every great love story starts with a little spark, a meet cute if you will, sort of that moment of possibility.
I wanted the store to feel a bit like that moment. You’re being struck by something that really inspires interest, passion, whether that’s the book you’re experiencing or finding a new friend in the store, it’s the idea that these stories can often prompt a new passion.
Sara: How do you choose what to purchase for the store?
Rachel: That is absolutely my favorite part.
I spent so many hours before we opened just combing through catalogs of books. You said you’re in the library field, so you know how old school this industry still is. I mean at least the catalogs are digital. I met with publisher reps and they’re a great resource in terms of recommending a starter inventory. Ingram, which is the big distributor, has something called a Rosie, which you can request when they put together a list of recommended titles for you. I had a little bit of an easier time just because I am mostly a specialty store, so that allowed me to kind of narrow down the inventory in the beginning. It really was this amazing opportunity to look through both existing inventory and new books coming and really curate this collection. I had lots of help from the publishers and reps that come tour, and the booksellers themselves, once I hired them, were really involved in helping us curate our selection as well.
Photo credit: Reagan Bryne
Sara: Browsing catalogs is one of my favorite parts of being in this field.
Rachel: It turns out you can make shopping a job, which is amazing.
Sara: The dream! How is Lovestruck organized?
Rachel: We are organized into subgenres, and part of what I wanted with Lovestruck was somebody who is new to the genre could come in and not feel intimidated by the sort of depth of this world.
Lots of people who read romance know exactly what they’re looking for, and they are very well-versed in subgenres and tropes, but I wanted it to be accessible to someone new to the genre, especially since we have people come in for the cafe that are not necessarily romance readers. We have it broken down into broad categories: Romantasy, Contemporary, Historical, YA, and we have our Children’s section. Within that, we have subgenres: Sports Romance, Westerns, Paranormal, WitchFic, we have a curated LGBTQ+ section that is just our staff favorites. We have a ton of queer books that are intermixed within their respective genre. We didn’t want to necessarily call them out as queer, since that felt othering, and we had many staff conversations about this. But for people that do come in and are specifically looking for these titles, we have a staff highlights section. Then we have our staff picks throughout the store as well, our new releases, and for our general fiction section, we have Sci-Si, Fantasy, Historical, and we have a Nonfiction section that is a lot smaller. It’s specifically curated so we have health and wellness, self care, mind, body, spirit. Then we have a Biography section, a small food and beverage section because of the cafe, and then giftable books as well. This is one section that is always surprising to everyone. We have a pretty popular Horror section, so that’s funny and it’s kind of grown. We have one bookseller in particular that really loves horror so they are often curating that section. We have a Local Authors section, and a constant rotation of displays. When the heist at the Louvre happened, we had a heist display. We had a billionaire romance display, and we had a monster fic display. That’s kind of where the booksellers get to curate for themselves. Right now we have a Formula 1 display, and these often are rotating, and we often have a cultural heritage month display depending on which holiday we’re celebrating.
Sara: Horror is my second most-read genre, so I completely understand the romance and horror seesaw. So I love to see that!
Rachel: Yeah! It’s been fun.
Sara: Also, the displays! I feel there is so much crossover between working at a bookstore and working at a library. We also have rotating displays.
Rachel: They are so fun, and it’s also been great, too, because sometimes we’ll have a display that is really popular and then it will turn into a permanent section. That’s what happened with our Witch Fic section. It was just so popular that we thought clearly we need to expand this section into a dedicated space.
Photo credit: Reagan Bryne
Sara: I don’t think I asked, but how large is the store?
Rachel: We’re 5,000 square-feet and about a third of that is the cafe, so we have about 2,500 square-feet of sell space.
And we’re also closer to about 60/40 books and gifts. So, opposed to most bookstores that are 80/20. We have a large gift section that is bath and body, beauty, and bookish gifts: reading lights, bookmarks, stickers. And a small homegoods section. We have a bunch of stuffed animals mixed throughout and then we have our Lovestruck-branded merch as well, which has been really popular.
The Climax:
Sara: Awesome! And if I were to visit Lovestruck, what is one thing I must check out while in the shop?
Rachel: When you do come to Lovestruck, I hope you will check out our Staff Picks section because I think that is what is so special about Lovestruck.
The thing I hear over and over again from customers is how helpful and friendly our staff are and how well they know the genre. The people that want to work at Lovestruck love romance. It’s not a requirement of the job, but it seems to attract folks that are really passionate about it, which is great. Everyone seems to have their pet genre, so it’s been fun to give the staff a space to really explore that. So, aside from our staff picks, our Lovestruck Bestseller section is also a really great way to see what’s popular. It’s also been really exciting to see local authors and non-romance authors picked up there, too, because I think it just speaks to Lovestruck being a community bookstore space and a place where people can come and discover lots of things, not just romance. Then, you need to try our Lovestruck cocktail, which is a champagne cocktail or our red velvet latte which is our delicious George Howell cafe-exclusive beverage.
Sara: Oh, I love that! What is another one of your favorite parts of running and owning a bookstore?
Rachel: Getting to meet some of my favorite authors, that’s been incredible. But, it’s really been the community piece.
That has been so powerful and meaningful for me to see. So, it’s people who have connected in the bookstore. For example, we have a couple who met in the bookstore and they now have Lovestruck tattoos. Also seeing people, mothers and adult daughters, come in and they bond and share their favorite novels. I’ve had people tell me, “This book series got me through chemo,” and just seeing how much these books and this community matters to people has been really powerful. It’s kind of taken on a life of its own. There’s a group of nurses who come to almost every one of our events, and they have started this website where they help people in the medical field connect with book clubs in their areas. It’s launched this whole online community platform for them just because they found it so meaningful to be at Lovestruck, [and] that’s been really inspiring. Also, getting to read all the books I love, even though sadly, I am reading less than I used to now that I ironically own a bookstore. I think just like being immersed in this literary world has been so special for me.
Photo credit: Reagan Bryne
Sara: That's amazing. I love how Lovestruck is at the center of these stories. This space is making a mark just by existing. I think it’s so lovely that all of these people walk away with different stories of love; romantic love, friendship, [and] they are finding their community.
Rachel: Yeah, it’s been very humbling. I had no idea when I started this what it was going to turn into.
Sara: Do you have any advice for someone looking to open a genre-specific bookstore?
Rachel: Yeah, so the best thing that I did before I opened was go around and tour the other niche specialty stores in the area.
I did a mini road trip of the East Coast romance bookstores. Meeting people that are already doing that and seeing what their space looks like was really helpful. Similarly, introducing myself to the other local bookstore owners in the area. I really wanted to make sure people knew that I was not a threat to anybody, that I was not trying to usurp customers or anything and people have been incredibly welcoming and inclusive. The overall feedback that I've gotten from other bookstore owners is that, like a rising tide lifts all boats, a new Indie is a win for all of us. It just speaks to the power of this industry to be coming back. The other thing I would say is, and I think people know this, but this is a very narrow-margin industry. Identifying opportunities for other revenue drivers or making sure that you have a really strong business plan is powerful and important. Nobody who gets into this is doing it to make a lot of money.
Sara: Wow, that was great! Such great tips and it’s lovely to see Indie bookshops supporting each other, you don’t see that very much in other industries. There is so much that goes into owning a bookstore. The unglamorous parts people don’t often think about play such an important part that people need to know.
Rachel: Not in a bad way, but there is this idea that, and I had it too, that this will be so fun and I won’t have to think about things like inventory, and opening up publisher accounts, and making sure I have a cleaning service. It’s just all the administrative and operational things you don’t think about. I was really lucky I had a good friend who was starting a consulting business at the same time and she was my unofficial COO which was invaluable, and I don’t think I could have done it without her. Having someone who fills in the gaps for you is good because I think with very few exceptions it is very hard to do this alone.
Epilogue:
Sara: Thank you for that, it’s really helpful to know. Now for a bit of rapid fire: What are your favorite tropes and subgenres of romance?
Rachel: My favorite trope is enemies-to-lovers. It is the sexiest, the emotional payoff is always worth it.
I also love a ‘he-falls-first’ romance and dual povs, getting both romantic partners’ thoughts. I really love that, especially when it’s revealed late in the book; that’s my favorite. For subgenres, I go back and forth between romantasy and contemporary. With romantasy, I grew up as a big fantasy reader. I read a lot of Mercedes Lackey growing up as a kid and Ursula K. Le Guin, so I think my roots hold true, and I love that romantasy tends to have high stakes and big feels. I also love a second-chance romance, there’s this idea that you get to have a do-over that is very fun and very empowering.
Sara: Can you choose one of those tropes or subgenres and expand on why you love that one?
Rachel: I don’t know if this is genre specific, but one of the things I’ve loved the most about having Lovestruck is meeting all the local authors especially because so many of them are self-published and are very grateful to have a platform where they can sell their books in person.
I think if I were to do this again, I would focus on local authors; that’s what I would dive into and many of them are romance authors, and for me, that has been both exciting and illuminating to see how hard it is for these self-published folks to run their own small business. They are doing everything themselves and don’t have the arm of a publishing partner behind them to help with promotions. So, if I would expand into something, it would be a supporter for self-published, local authors.
Sara: Can you choose one of those tropes or subgenres and expand on why you love that one?
Rachel: I don’t know if this is genre specific, but one of the things I’ve loved the most about having Lovestruck is meeting all the local authors especially because so many of them are self-published and are very grateful to have a platform where they can sell their books in person.
I think if I were to do this again, I would focus on local authors; that’s what I would dive into and many of them are romance authors, and for me, that has been both exciting and illuminating to see how hard it is for these self-published folks to run their own small business. They are doing everything themselves and don’t have the arm of a publishing partner behind them to help with promotions. So, if I would expand into something, it would be a supporter for self-published, local authors.
Sara: Mic drop! Fantastic answer, truly. I was also reading about decision fatigue recently and how every moment of your day weighs on you, and personally, I do want to pick up my romance novel at the end of my day and not have to worry about if my main characters will end up together.
Rachel: This also isn’t new. Lots of people watch sports or play video games. The idea that you do something repetitive or not mentally taxing because that’s relaxing is not a new idea. I think people look down on romance because it’s often written by women, for women, and we live in a patriarchal society.
Sara: Say that! Yes! Just to wrap up with our epilogue: what are you reading right now?
Rachel: The best part of being a romance bookstore owner is getting early advanced copies, so not to brag, but I am reading the new Fury Bound Sable Sorensen book, which is the sequel to Dire Bound, and that is delightful.
I am also reading Katherine Center’s The Love Haters, which is a contemporary meet cute, fake romance vibe, and Center is so funny. I think she is one of the funniest contemporary romance writers. I am also reading one of the Lucy Score books, maybe the sixth in the Blue [Moon] series. I always have about four or five books going at once. I’m in a nonromance book club with some friends, and we’re reading Kate Baer, the poet, and her most recent collection that came out is called, How About Now: Poems. And it’s a lot of poems about motherhood and it’s really moving. Also, they’re short!
Sara: I love having a book of poetry as a book club pick, there is so much to discuss there.
Rachel: It was a little surprising at first, but then everyone was thrilled because it was short and an excuse to read something we wouldn’t have otherwise.
Sara: Which is a joy of book clubs.
Rachel: Absolutely.
Sara: My final question: is there any upcoming event you’d like to tease for our readers?
Rachel: Yes! We’ll be hosting author Mia Sosa to celebrate the release of The Starter [Ex] on Tuesday, March 12. The bash will include entry to the discussion, Q&A, and photo line.
Click here for the event link!
All Aboard
Beep Beep! We loved chatting with Rachel about book shopping for Lovestruck and their beautiful community.
In April, we’re stopping in steamy Florida! You may have heard of Steamy Lit Con, but we’re taking a look at the name that shaped romance bookstores. We’re chatting with Mel and introducing you to the world of Steamy Lit!