Categories: Lifestyle

This all-pink bookstore just opened in Toronto and it’s all about romance

Photo via @hopelessromanticbooks on Instagram

There’s a new kind of love story unfolding on Queen Street, and it’s straight out of a rom-com. Hopeless Romantic Books is an all-pink paradise for romance lovers. Inside, you’ll find an entire world devoted to love stories, from classic tales to the spiciest smut books.

The shop is the brainchild of sisters Kearston and Serena, who wanted to build a space where romance readers could come together and bond over their love of the genre.

Hopeless romance in the streets of Toronto

Set your GPS to 1080 Queen St. W., which is where you’ll find this gem. And it’s not hard to miss as its exterior is also pink!

Kearston tells Curiocity that she and Serena spoke of how fun it would be to open a bookstore. Though it started as a dream, it soon became a reality as they entertained the idea further.

They first found a home within Stackt Market. “It was a HUGE undertaking — setting up accounts with publishers and ordering books, getting a website together, putting our little pop-up shipping container into a pink bookstore,” shared Kearston.

“We (including family and friends) hustled to get it ‘good enough’ to launch on opening day and have rolled with the punches ever since!”

New location

After finding success at Stackt Market and building a devoted following, the duo landed a bigger space in one of Toronto’s beloved neighbourhoods. Fans of HRB on Instagram got to watch the journey unfold, as the sister documented every step of bringing their new location to life.

While they had plenty of fresh ideas to make the space stand out, one thing was a non-negotiable: they had to keep their signature Sabrina-Carpenter-meets-Barbie-Dreamhouse theme alive.

They also drew inspiration from retro and vintage aesthetics, Y2K energy, and Toronto’s La Cubana restaurant. Complete with a rolling ladder and a secret bookcase door, the new Queen Street location officially opened its doors on Oct. 11, marking its transition out of a pop-up and into a full-fledged store.

What to expect at HRB

“We want it to be a safe, inclusive place for those who love romance novels. Whether you like no-spice to our level five ratings, we want people to feel comfortable coming in and selecting whatever they want,” Kearston adds.

“We want people to feel like they are part of a community of romance readers/hopeless romantics and that they have a home here at HRB! Second, we want people to just have a good time and enjoy being in our space, whether it’s 10 minutes browsing or two hours at an event.”

With their selection, you may find yourself leaving with a few books to add to your collection. But what can you expect to find? Keaston says the only general qualification for a book to be on their shelves is for it to end in a HEA – Happily Ever After.

“Our motto is that we do not yuck anyones yum – therefore any romance book is worthy of being on the shelves of HRB,” she shares.

“We do our best to stock as much variety as we can, and we love it when our amazing customers/followers/romantics share their ideas and recommendations.”

Customers also have the ability to fill out a form online to request books and authors they’d like HRB to bring in. Authors can also fill out a form on the site to request that they stock their books.

“We try to balance bringing in the popular selections, such as what is trending on say booktok and best sellers lists, etc., but we also try to highlight our local and Canadian authors, as well as LGBTQ2S+, BIPOC, and independently published authors to provide a selection for anyone who walks in the doors,” Kearston adds.

Like any amazing love story, Hopeless Romantic Books is still in its early chapters. It’s full of excitement, uncertainty and heart. Kearston admits that being a small business isn’t easy, but she and her sister are embracing the process one day at a time.

“We’re hoping to really establish ourselves in the community with our new location on Queen Street West over the next year, and we look forward to having our feet under us again after our big move,” she shares.

Despite their lows, they do like to dream big with hopes of collaborating with more brands and having locations across the province and even out east.

But for now, their focus lies on Queen Street, one happily ever after at a time. Hopeless Romantic Books is open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at their Queen Street location, but if you’re in the Stackt Market area, you have until Oct. 31 to check out their selection before they close their doors.