Following its debut as a pop-up store, Exes & Ohs Books has opened a bricks-and-mortar location in Bozeman, Mont., KBZK Bozeman reported. The romance-focused bookstore soft-opened at 3505 Laramie Drive earlier this month and has a grand opening celebration planned for August 29. Alongside romance titles, shoppers can find apparel, candles, and an assortment of bookish merchandise. Event offerings include book clubs, release parties, trivia nights, author readings, and more.
Prior to opening the bricks-and-mortar store, co-founders Jin-Ju Jahns, Sarah Gullickson, and Wren Goodman ran Exes & Ohs as a pop-up shop located within a comedy club called Last Best Comedy. The pop-up was in residence for five months, and the trio opened the bricks-and-mortar with the help of a crowdfunding campaign that they ran themselves. Rewards ranged from having a chosen title on display to sponsoring an entire bookshelf.
Jahns told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle they were inspired to open a romance store of their own after Gullickson told her about a romance bookstore she visited in Idaho. "I was like, 'Sarah, we can do that.' We literally went to my house after that walk, called Wren on the phone and were like, 'Come over, we're writing a business plan, we're opening a romance bookstore,' " Jahns recalled.
Earlier this month, Exes & Ohs partnered with local romance author Christina Hill to host the first Bozeman BookCon. It took place at Montana State University and featured 36 authors and 10 vendors. Before the event, Hill told KBZK Bozeman that tickets sold out quickly and some 475 readers were expected to attend.
Exes & Ohs was open for Bookstore Romance Day. After its grand opening on August 29, the bookstore will have regularly scheduled hours.