When Katie Cunningham, a successful bakery owner, wife and loving mother, began to feel called toward more, she never expected to find love in the small town of Collingswood, New Jersey. The love wasn’t for a person – but for books. Armed with a stack of romance novels and a dream, she set off to fulfill her dream of opening a bookstore. 

At least, that’s how the back cover of the rom-com novel depicting her journey opening her latest business would read. 

“Ever since the pandemic, print book readership has risen year after year, and independent bookstores have opened to fill that need,” says Cunningham, the owner of Kiss & Tale, Collingswood’s newest all-romance independent bookstore.

For those who think bookstores are on the decline, the stats tell a different story. 

Kiss & Tale is part of a nationwide trend in the resurgence of independent bookstores, with more than 600 opening since the pandemic, according to the American Booksellers Association. 

And for those who think opening an all-romance bookstore would be more of a limitation than an asset, it’s time to, again, guess again. She’s far from the only one. The idea of a romance-focused independent bookstore has spread across the country. 

“I’m so passionate about romance books. It’s just my life – I read, and I reread,” says Cunningham. “There have been times when I’ve read a book a day or read until 3 in the morning, fully aware that I had to wake my kids up at 7.”

That sentiment is exactly what’s behind the rise in the romance book industry, which is the number one genre for bookstores, bringing in more than a billion dollars nationwide. These are readers who burn through books at alarming speeds – who are just as likely to read a 200-page novella in one sitting as they are to spend months (or weeks, for the ambitious) tucked into the 3 series, 23 books, 10,000+ pages that make up the Sarah J. Mass universe. Her series “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” is often the gateway for many non-romance readers to fall in love with the genre, says Cunningham. 

“We’re even seeing romance subgenres as they combine with science fiction or mysteries,” she says. “We’ve come a long way from the days of your mom’s Fabio-covered books that you have to hide at the bottom of your purse in public.”  

But why go to an independent bookstore – romance-specific or not – to shop instead of buying from Barnes and Noble or Amazon? The experience, she says. 

“It’s the same reason why people may choose a farmer’s market over the grocery store – they want good service and high-quality products, but even more than that they want to support the local community and they want the overall experience you just can’t get in a corporate setting,” says Cunningham. 

Even eReaders are not the threat people may assume, with print books outselling eBooks 4 to 1. According to the Pew Research Center, 75% of adults in the US have read a book in some format over the last year, 65% have read a print book (almost half of them exclusively read print books). 

In fact, the internet is part of what drives people toward this in-person experience. 

Many readers have found communities online that celebrate books. RomanceBooks is in the top 1 percent of Reddit communities, and book recommendations are saturating TikTok, creating a corner of the platform affectionately known as BookTok.  

“The reason these groups are so big is because readers rely heavily on recommendations,” says Cunningham. “I’m going to talk to you for as long as you want to find a book you’re going to love. Amazon is going to use an algorithm to make suggestions.” 

But the shops’ value goes beyond just the books themselves. 

“Independent bookstores create a welcoming space where people can connect and explore,” says Cunningham. “That’s why you see bookstores hosting events like book signings, readings, discussions with local authors, workshops and open mic nights.”

In essence, these spaces serve as community hubs and opportunities to highlight local talent. 

It’s no coincidence that Cunningham is opening a bookstore in Collingswood. South Jersey has a long history of dedication to books, shown through events like the year-round programming from the county libraries, the Collingswood Book Festival and the Katz JCC Festival of Community, Arts, Books and Culture, which bring in big names and local artists. 

“We’re fortunate to live in a region with a fantastic library system, so if people gravitate toward reading just for the love of books, they have every opportunity to do that for free,” she says. “Independent bookstores offer a different experience.”

People want the physical feel of books, Cunningham says. They want to peruse aisles, peek into back covers, smell the pages, get recommendations from staff, know that the money they spent is staying within the community. Most importantly, they want to see the book on their bookshelf when they’re done. 

Kiss & Tale and other stores nearby like Collingswood’s Ida’s Bookshop and Inkwood Books in Haddonfield are in turn helping the local economy – purchasing from an indie bookstore generates twice the amount of local economic impact as Barnes and Noble and quadruple that of Amazon, according to the American Book Association. 

Even the business community between independent bookstore owners carries a different tone than your typical business competitor, she says. 

“It’s almost like we’re colleagues, and we’re in this together,” says Cunningham. “We aren’t here just to make money, we’re here because we have the same passion. The more of us that have this passion, the more people we can serve in creating the type of experience that independent bookstores bring to communities.” 

“I know what reading a good book can do for your mind, your body, your soul,” she adds. “I just want everyone to have that. All of us independent bookstores in South Jersey – that’s what we’re here to do.” 

5 favorite romance novels from Kiss & Tale’s Katie Cunningham

1. “Bound to the Battle God” by Ruby Dixon
Romantasy is my favorite genre, and this hits all the notes for me. Makes you swoon, laugh, cry. It’s an epic adventure and an amazing love story.

2. “Kiss an Angel” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
In my opinion, the best use of the grovel trope in a book.

3. “Love In the Time Of Zombies” by Cassandra Gannon
Cassandra Gannon is my go-to author when I need a laugh. Her stories are so funny and crazy. And I love a story set in a zombie apocalypse. I wish there were more Romance books with this setting.

4. “A Shadow in the Ember” by Jennifer L. Armentrout
This book reignited my passion for reading. I was in a reading slump after having my second child and picked up this book – I haven’t stopped reading since. It will always hold a special place in my book heart.

5. “It Happened One Summer” by Tessa Bailey
One of the best Grumpy/Sunshine Contemporary Romances out there. I have read it multiple times. It is just so cute and fun.