A little blue house tucked among one-story homes along West Eighth Street in the Bishop Arts District became the talk of the town when it opened this fall as Dallas’ first romance bookstore.
Through the front window, which bears the words “HAPPILY EVER AFTERS INSIDE,” customers can catch a glimpse of the tall pink bookshelves lining one wall stuffed to capacity with an array of romance novels.
In a recent interview days after Blush Bookstore’s grand opening, owner Jaclyn Wooten, 35, and store manager Emily Rae, 20, sat inside the quiet store marking tasks off their to-do lists.
The women spent most of the weekend welcoming guests who stood in line for more than an hour and a half to be among the first customers, restocking shelves, checking inventory, chatting about their favorite novels and witnessing friendships being made as people gushed over special-edition copies of their favorite books.
Wooten and Rae were tired but thankful for the busy, warm welcome. After all, they expected nothing less from North Texas.
“We had a good feeling about Dallas as a market,” Wooten said. “There was never an ‘I hope this works out’ moment.”
The weekend was a glimpse into the community they believe their niche bookstore can build.
Wooten — who also owns the online retail store House of Jupiter that sells book-inspired merchandise — said it wasn’t long after opening the first Blush in Wichita, Kan., last year that she knew she’d want to expand.
She said the concept for Blush was born from the love of romance displays typically tucked into the corners of traditional bookstores.
“This reflects the most feminine space in the bookstore and the perk of being niche is people feel like this is a space for them,” Wooten said. “We knew the romance readers were here.”
The romance genre that was once largely ignored by booksellers has become “the hottest thing in the book world” and reshaped not only the publishing industry but also the retail landscape, The New York Times reported earlier this year.
The romance bookstores popping up all over the country are mostly owned and operated by women, who also make up the majority of the genre’s readers. The newspaper reported romance sales have soared in recent years, jumping from 18 million print copies sold in 2020 to more than 39 million in 2023.
Wooten also credits “BookTok,” a subcommunity on TikTok that focuses on books and literature, as a catalyst for the noticeable uptick in the number of romance readers.
“And once you’re into it and join the fandom, I don’t see a way out,” Wooten said. “You also become a part of the community and get a sense of belonging. You’re buying into more than a book.”
Blush’s Dallas location is cozy with thoughtful touches, like a photo of the first store hanging in a gold heart-shaped frame on the wall, and instead of an obvious completely pink theme, touches of blue are mixed in with the decorations and inventory.
Beyond the assortment of books for sale is an array of fun merchandise, like bookmarks that say “emotionally attached to fictional characters” and “hot girls read,” sets of book club discussion questions, “spicy” book stickers, coffee mugs, journals, colorful pens, tote bags with bows, T-shirts with inside-knowledge references (You’d get it if you read the book.) and more.
Popular authors like Sarah J. Maas (the ACOTAR series) and Emily Henry (“Beach Read,” “Book Lovers,” etc.) are stocked but the seasonal reads like Laurie Gilmore’s “The Pumpkin Spice Café” and “The Cinnamon Bun Book Store” were among the many sellouts that flew out the doors during Blush’s opening weekend.
Wooten said when she was looking for a spot in Dallas, she wanted somewhere walkable so Bishop Arts was an easy choice.
The neighborhood already has its share of independent bookstores, including The Wild Detectives, Poets Oak Cliff Bookshop and Whose Books Neighborhood Bookstore. Blush’s opening has even inspired some local content creators to go on a “book crawl” in the area and visit all four stores, each of which has its own vibe.
“We don’t need a niche bookstore on every corner but I’m happy we can bring ours into the mix here,” Wooten said.
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