National Independent Bookstore day really made me realize how many awesome indies I have around me; there is just something special about going to a bookstore that has its own personality. I will be highlighting an indie bookstore that I come across and would love to learn more about your indies as well! Without further ado, I introduce you to...
Love Sweet's Arrow is Chicagoland's first romance-specific independent bookstore run by a mother-and-daughter duo. It's about an hour drive outside of Chicago but well worth the visit!
The book store opened in June 2019 and they've made Love's Sweet Arrow a communal space. They've had two author events as well as a self-care night which I think is the perfect vibe for this bookstore.
I visited Love's Sweet Arrow in late June and I loved how open the space was! The bookstore has a patreon and some levels allow you to sponsor shelves. One shelf that jumped out to me was a shelf sponsored by the Heaving Bosom's podcast. There was also a lovely bouquet of flowers sent over from the ladies of The Ripped Bodice. I love the community support and it led me to donate to their patreon as soon as I left.
The store was broken up into categories within the genre along with a really cute kid's section (that's where Matt hung out for the majority of the time). There is a separate room where they have a pretty big collection of used bookstores. Honestly, given that they were in operation for less than a month when I visited, they had a really nice collection of books and were more than happy to order anything I couldn't find. The owners, Roseann and Marissa, and a pure delight! They chatted with us while we were browsing and were so quick to offer recommendations and were honestly romance pros.
I hope to my make over there once more before the summer is over and especially want to attend one of their bookish events. If you're in Chicagoland in the near future (or better yet, if you're going to KissCon is 2020), make sure you make plans to visit!
Have you been to a romance-specific bookstore? (or a genre-specific bookstore?)
Have you visited Love's Sweet Arrow (yet)?
Follow up question, will you be in Chicago in the next 12 months?
What was the last author/bookish event you've attended?
Labels: Bookstore Spotlight, bookstores, independent bookstore, love's sweet arrow
