Charmed & Bound Books, a romance-focused bookstore, will open in Flemington, N.J., this fall, MyCentralJersey reported. The bookstore, at 44 Main St., will carry a wide array of romance titles, including rom-coms, dark romance, and everything in between. There will be a small children's section as well as nonbook items like candles, bookmarks, stickers, and book-related apparel.
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| Charmed & Bound owners Stefanie Mandelberg and Kelsey DiMeglio | |
Owners Stefanie Mandelberg and Kelsey DiMeglio plan to host author talks, book clubs, and crafting nights, and they will turn the shop's back room into an incubator for local women-owned businesses. The first shop in the incubator space will be a children's clothing and gift store called Little Honey's Boutique.
DiMeglio told MyCentralJersey that she and Mandelberg want to carry not only traditional romance "but also to showcase queer love stories and cultural, multicultural love stories. We want everybody to be able to walk into this store and feel like they have a place, they have a voice, and they can find something that they can relate to."
Mandelberg and DiMeglio met at a back-to-school night at their children's elementary school. They bonded over their love of romance books, and though the idea initially started as a joke, they soon decided to open a romance bookstore. After their initial space fell through, they launched Charmed & Bound as an online and pop-up store while continuing to look for a suitable space.
"Everyone deserves a space where they feel seen, celebrated, and truly welcome," Mandelberg said. "We want to create a place where readers could come together to connect, unwind, and fall in love with stories again and again."