Grand Gesture Books to open in Portland

• It would be the second Black-owned bookstore in the city.

Portland is long overdue for a romance bookstore, too — there are no others in the city, Morgan said, but the literary audience is already here.

How it started: Morgan is the manager of Powell's romance section, where sometimes she "can't even walk because everyone's in it."

• She believes the genre is in the midst of a resurgence and Morgan was inspired to open her own shop partly due to the success of other romance bookstores that have popped up across the country (including one in Vancouver).

What's happening: While Morgan searches for the perfect location — she's giving herself six months to secure a lease, she tells Axios — Grand Gesture Books is open online via Bookshop.

What she's saying: One of Morgan's wishes is for someone to get engaged in the store after it opens ("I'm obsessed with weddings," she added), but until that happens she's happy to help customers find the perfect book for them.

• "If they want to read a mafia romance or a book about aliens dating, that's great!" she said. "Wherever they find that joy, I'm not going to have anyone try to stifle it."