For the Plot, a romance-focused bookstore "with curated subgenres and bookish gifts," is set to open by late June at 120 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Southeast Missourian reported.
Owner Brianna "Bri" Biri said that she loves the attention her bookstore is already getting, whether it is passersby peeking through the front windows, messages she receives online or word-of-mouth that makes its way back to her. "I feel like people are already starting to connect with it," she noted.
An avid reader of the romance genre, Biri visited similar stores in Charleston, S.C., Seattle, Wash., and Nashville, Tenn., which helped her feel "empowered to pursue the venture of opening her own bookstore geared toward those also taken with romance novels," the Southeast Missourian noted.
"Obviously, it's something that people are connecting to and sticking with," Biri said of the genre. In addition to For the Plot's curated collection of romance titles, she will also sell books by local authors.
She added that the new bookstore is coming together exactly as she envisioned it, with vibes for the space that are "romantic, whimsical, and cozy.... I just wanted it to feel welcoming. I didn't want it to feel cold and sterile. I really did want it to feel like you were just going to a friend's house or something."