It's a Love Story, a romance bookstore and cafe, opened in Hayden, Idaho, earlier this summer, the Spokesman-Review reported.
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| Tyann Bjorkman at It's a Love Story | |
Owner Tyann Bjorkman and operations manager Ashley Yates first welcomed customers at 8927 N Hess St., Suite A, on June 1. The bookstore carries a wide range of romance subgenres, including contemporary, sports, thrillers, and LGBTQ+, with Bjorkman noting that romantasy and dark romance have proven most popular so far.
Bjorkman and Yates have already hosted some book signings with local authors and plan to work with more local authors going forward. Other event plans include game nights and book clubs.
"We really want to welcome people in to come and hang out and build those kinds of connections and relationships," Bjorkman told the Spokesman-Review.
They strive to make It's a Love Story a judgment-free zone where no one feels shamed for their reading habits, and Yates said one of the most gratifying things has been seeing "some of the older generations come in and you can tell it's one of the very first times they have gotten to talk out loud about books because it's always felt so taboo."
Bjorkman was inspired to open a romance bookstore of her own after seeing others on TikTok. Her goal is to "create somewhere people could come and hang out, and it can just be joyful."