My dream has always been to write romance novels, and I am very fortunate that I live that dream every day. But if, for some reason, I could not have written romance, what then would I have dreamt of doing? Something to do with reading then, naturally: I’d have dreamt of owning a bookstore. But not any old bookstore: one specialising in my favourite genre, romance.

Sisters Bea and Leah Koch have hit the headlines the world over recently for opening the very first such bookstore in America: The Ripped Bodice in LA (www.therippedbodicela.com). In doing so, I am sure they have realised the dream of not just myself, but so many romance readers worldwide.

Take romance author Elsa Winckler, for example. In her novel Love, In Writing the heroine runs a bookstore selling only books that have a happy ending. I reviewed that book some time ago (see https://hannahfielding.net/staging/1129/book-review-love-in-writing-by-elsa-winckler/) but the idea of the store has stuck with me; I just love it.

Clearly, many other people adore the notion of a romance-specific store, because The Ripped Bodice was part-funded by a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter that raised nearly $100,000.

I would love to hop on a plane today and visit The Ripped Bodice, for my own pleasure and to support the entrepreneurial and spirited women who have launched the venture. I love their motto for the shop, ‘smart girls read romance’, and their aim to create a space where women can come together and explore all sub-genres of romance.

Beyond the excitement generated by a romance bookstore, though, is an idea that has the potential to create positive change in publishing and bookselling. As Leah Koch reminded the BBC, comic book and science fiction stores have a long history; so why not romance, the best-selling genre of fiction?

‘We think niche book stores are the wave of the future, especially from a business perspective and for making enough money,’ says Leah. ‘To compete with Amazon you have to offer something unique.’

It’s an interesting idea, don’t you think? Could we see crime and thriller stores opening soon? Fantasy ones? How about shops dedicated to literary fiction? I love the idea of destinations tailored to the genre. These ‘book hubs’ could become important community spaces, where likeminded people can meet and share their passions.

What do you think of genre-specific bookstores? Would you shop in one? I would love to hear your thoughts.