New romance bookstore opens in East Austin
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Finney's, a romance bookstore in East Austin, opened its doors last month. Photo: Courtesy of Cameron Lagrone/Finney's Books
Finney's Books, a new romance bookstore in East Austin, is riding a wave of reader enthusiasm for genre-specific spaces.
Why it matters: Romance is having a moment. Niche bookstores like Finney's are popping up across the country, and screen adaptations have helped sales of romance novels climb.
Case in point: Finney's owner Cameron Lagrone opened the shop in December — shortly after the release of "Heated Rivalry," a wildly popular TV adaptation of the "Game Changers" romance series, which centers on a queer professional hockey romance.
- "That has been easily my biggest sale," Lagrone says of the series, adding that she even had a customer drive from Katy to purchase them.
- "I had people coming in just wanting to gush about it," she tells Axios.
What they're saying: Her customers' enthusiasm to come together reinforced Lagrone's belief that romance readers in Austin are looking for a place to enjoy the genre together.
- "I want it to be a space where people can actually hang out, chat with their friends, read a book," Lagrone says.
Flashback: Lagrone has always found comfort in reading, but started diving back into romance books a few years ago. She quickly realized the world of modern romance had moved beyond the stereotypes she once associated with the genre.
- "The more I read of modern-day romance books, I was like: 'Oh, these are incredible. These heroines are great, and there are so many queer stories now' — all these things I hadn't expected," Lagrone says.
- That perspective now shapes how she stocks the store. Her own taste, book club, TikTok, authors and other readers help her decide what to include.
- "I didn't want you to come in and only get stuff you could get at Barnes and Noble," Lagrone says.
Zoom out: Austin already has a strong independent bookstore ecosystem, including Flutter Romance Bookstore — the city's first romance-only shop — alongside other popular indie shops like First Light, Black Pearl Books and Reverie.
- Rather than competing directly, Lagrone says Finney's adds to a growing niche market.
- "I still feel like there's such a need for judgment-free spaces where you can come and talk about these books," Lagrone says.
What's next: The shop is hosting weekly "Heated Rivalry" watch parties in January so fans can "squeal over the show" together, Lagrone says.
- Finney's will stream Episode 1 on Jan. 15.
If you go: Finney's is located at 3823 Airport Blvd. and is open Fridays from 3-7pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-7pm.