Grand Gesture Books, a Black-owned romance bookstore that debuted as an online store in 2023, will host a grand opening celebration on Saturday, October 26, for its new bricks-and-mortar storefront in Portland, Ore., Oregon Live reported.
Located at 814 S.W. 10th Ave., the 1,200-square-foot store carries a wide assortment of romance titles with an emphasis on those written by diverse authors. In addition to books, there are tote bags, book-themed candles, postcards, and other sidelines. Owner Katherine Morgan plans to host plenty of events, and has even been ordained in order to officiate weddings at the bookstore.
Prior to launching Grand Gesture, Morgan worked at Powell's for seven years, where she eventually ran the romance section. Earlier this year she launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with opening the store; so far that has raised just shy of $30,000.
Morgan has already hosted the bookstore's first author reading, which featured Colby Wilkens (If I Stopped Haunting You; If I Dig You). Following the grand opening on Saturday, Morgan will host a ribbon cutting on Monday.