Indie Bookstores Celebrate Bookstore Romance Day

Bookstore Romance Day, a day designed to give independent bookstores an opportunity to celebrate romance fiction, was created by Billie Bloebaum in 2019 and took place this year on Saturday, August 15.

This year, author Meg Cabot served as the Bookstore Romance Day 2020 ambassador. The day featured a schedule packed with virtual events, which included exclusive talks and panels featuring romance authors, along with a dedicated tea time and cocktail hour. Some stores around the country were even able to celebrate in person, where they handed out Bookstore Romance Day-themed swag to customers. 

Here are just some of the ways bookstores celebrated around the country:

Flashlight Books in Walnut Creek, California, posted to Instagram: “Happy Bookstore Romance Day! Today we're giving away TWO romance bundles: historical and contemporary (swipe to see). To enter the giveaway, comment here with your FAVORITE romance novel and tag a romance-loving friend. We'll contact our winners tomorrow! Please note you do have to be able to pick your prize up (contactless is fine) so you must be able to come by our store in Walnut Creek or have someone who can get it for you.”

Semicolon Bookstore in Chicago, Illinois, posted to Instagram: “It’s #BookstoreRomanceDay and we’ve got a few of Gabby’s faves on display. We’re open from noon to 6pm today, so come through and fall in love with some new titles.”

Mostly Books in Tucson, Arizona, posted to Instagram: “Shop today and get a free Indies Romance Day tote bag. Call as we have a HUGE selection of new and used romance books.”

Charis Books and More in Decatur, Georgia, posted to Instagram: “Tomorrow is Bookstore Romance Day, so we wanted to use today’s bookseller highlight to give you an update from our most ‘romantic’ bookseller, Fiona Zedde! Fiona (@fionazedde) is an author of wild, sweet fiction about women in love from @BoldstrokesBooks, @HarlequinBooks and @millsandboonuk.” Click here to read the rest of the post.

Third Street Books in McMinnville, Oregon, posted to Instagram: “Happy Bookstore Romance Day! We will be giving away one tote to every customer who purchases at least one romance novel today! You can pick out a new romance in the store or from the website where we have several on the Staff Recs page. And check out our stories to see some of what we have in stock!”

Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida, posted to Instagram: “In further celebration of #bookstoreromanceday, we also have these fantastic totes from @avonbooks, and these adorable buttons from @bkstoreromanceday to give out (while supplies last)!”

Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, posted to Instagram: “Happy Bookstore Romance Day! My name is Olivia, and I’m a lover of romance novels here to take over the Boulder Book Store Instagram account today! We’re celebrating all things romance. Today only, you can send @boulderbookstore a Direct Message requesting a romance novel recommendation!”

The Neverending Bookshop in Seattle, Washington, posted to Instagram: “Calling all romance readers! If you buy something from our awesome romance section, you also get this excellent free tote bag from @avonbooks.”