Houston gets its 1st romance bookstore

Zoom in: Mossrose Bookstore opens in Iron Works, the mixed-use business hub in the East End, offering a cozy space filled with indie titles, books in Spanish and romance across a variety of genres.

Behind the scenes: Owner Andrea Sifuentes grew up on Moss Rose Street in the East End. She moved around in her adult years, and when she returned to Houston last year, she was shocked to see the lack of a bookstore in her neighborhood.

• "The whole time growing up, there was never a bookstore in my area, so I fully expected for things to have changed," Sifuentes says. "It really hadn't changed much. There weren't really new bookstores, none geared toward romance, none with an emphasis on any kind of Latina culture."

So Sifuentes started a pop-up, making sure to include books in Spanish — and it was a hit.

• Now, Houston's romance readers will have a dedicated space to shop.

Between the lines: Sifuentes prioritized diverse reads for her bookstore. Alongside mainstream titles, she highlights indie authors — especially those from Houston — seeking out books with strong representation of main characters and narratives.

• She also curates translated works and stories that explore family dynamics and platonic relationships.

What they're saying: Sifuentes knows people read e-books and buy online, but she thinks there's still something special about browsing for your next read in person.

• "Seeing a book sitting in your home and reminding you of whatever it is that that book triggered for you, I think can be such a good moment, and I think also coming into a bookstore to find one of those books — that's the kind of a feeling that a lot of people resonate with," Sifuentes tells Axios.

The big picture: Print sales of romance books have more than doubled in the last few years, with many people turning to the comfort and escape of a love story during the pandemic.

• Bookstores dedicated to the genre have been popping up from Dallas to Minneapolis and Denver. Now, even more niche shops are emerging, like a romantasy bookstore in Cleveland.

The intrigue: Mossrose isn't Houston's first genre-specific bookstore. Murder By the Book, one of the nation's oldest and largest mystery-focused bookstores, has been a local staple since 1980.

Stop by: Sifuentes is an attorney by day and a bookstore owner on the weekend, so Mossrose will initially open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-6pm, with Friday afternoon hours likely to be added soon.

• The 300-square-foot shop will launch with over 500 books.
• Sifuentes hopes to add a listening station — a nod to the old-school Barnes & Noble days — and host events with authors, starting with a series of local author signings on opening weekend.

Go deeper: Check out Sifuentes' book recommendations.