Love is in the air at The Novel Neighbor in Webster Groves. A whole new shop has sprung up over the course of the summer in what was previously one of the store’s event spaces. Now, the sunny, street-facing room is home to Open Door Romance, a mini bookstore that’s entirely filled with stories of love.
Open Door Romance is just the latest romance-centric space to pop up across the country. Spurred by “BookTok”—a large community of authors and readers on TikTok—and a post-pandemic search for community, stores dedicated to romance fiction have opened in Chicago, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and more.
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Kassie King, Novel Neighbor’s director of marketing, says Open Door is a natural next step for the 10-year-old bookstore. Romance has been the top-growing section of the main store for years, causing a crush among some of the other genres. The new space will allow The Novel Neighbor to expand its romance offerings (including sections for subgenres and specific tropes) while giving other sections room to grow.
Open Door also has the benefit of building upon an already dedicated community of romance readers. The shop’s romance book club meetings regularly attract 50–70 attendees. Stephanie Skees, Novel Neighbor’s director of events, says authors often request to visit because of St. Louis’ reputation for supportive audiences. These readers helped make the Open Door Romance concept a reality through The Novel Neighbor’s successful Indiegogo funding campaign, whose initial $10,000 goal was met and exceeded within days.
“I think book people are mirroring the pride that we take in being the best fans in baseball,” says Skees. “I also think that is what’s happened in the book community. We really want to be the best fans in books.”
Those fans will have the opportunity to experience all that Open Door Romance has to offer this month. The official opening celebration is August 17—on Bookstore Romance Day—but Open Door will welcome authors and host other events in the days leading up to the launch. Whether you think romance is for you or not, Skees and King stress that there’s a story to be found on its new shelves.
“Not only is romance a hugely diverse genre, but the readers are everyone,” says King. “If it’s not a genre that you’ve tried, it’s a genre you can still have a ton of fun with. There is a romance book for everyone, and it’s really fun to find the things that you love—specifically books about love.”
Bookmark It
Celebrate Open Door Romance at events all week long.
August 13: The Novel Neighbor will host sports romance author Grace Reilly at 5127 Delmar, an events space that will function much in the same way the former Next Door Event Space did for the shop.
August 15: Head to 18 Rails (3730 Foundry Way) for an evening with romance author Casey McQuiston to celebrate their newest novel, The Pairing. The night will feature a specialty cocktail and an assortment of local pop-up shops.
August 17: Celebrations at Open Door will include snacks and bites from Cha Tea Bar and Sugarwitch, an author panel, and Champagne hour from 5 p.m.–close.
August 18: Open Door will open for private, accessible shopping hours. Contact The Novel Neighbor for details.
