BookTok fans are flocking to this Richmond pop-up bookstore
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Tawney taught herself a lot of the business through TikTok and trial-and-error, and curates books she's personally read or wants to read. Photos: Courtesy of Danielle Tawney
Danielle Tawney was sitting on her couch in New Kent last spring when she realized the nearest bookstore was nearly 40 minutes away in Richmond or Williamsburg.
- So she started one herself.
Why it matters: Now the 27-year-old VCU grad runs Paperback Parlor, a traveling pop-up that brings romance, fantasy and sci-fi books to breweries, wineries and workout classes in Central Virginia.
State of play: The shop taps into what Tawney loves reading — and the booming "romantasy" trend fueled by BookTok, TikTok's massive community of book lovers.
- Since the first pop-up at Hardywood West Creek in September, "Every event has gotten so much more traction, and so many more people saying that they love what's going on," Tawney tells Axios.
- Customers now discover her on social media before showing up to browse books and swap recommendations, while venues reach out to host pop-ups, she says.
- And in the past year, she's been as far as South Hill and across the city at Brambly Park, Legend Brewing and Benchtop, where Tawney teams up with fellow pop-up booksellers for monthly book fairs.
What to expect: Nearly 200 books, Gingham tablecloths, woven baskets and Tawney's bestselling "blind parlor picks" bundles — wrapped books labeled only with hints about the plot and tropes inside.
- "I kind of wanted it to feel like you're going to a picnic with your friends," said Tawney, who's a litigation paralegal by day in Richmond.
What's next: Paperback Parlor's next pop-up is Saturday, 1-5pm, at Benchtop Brewing on Hull Street alongside local pop-up bookseller, Wildflower & Ink.
What we're watching: Tawney plans to roll out a fully mobile bookstore truck in August, which she says has been the dream behind Paperback Parlor from the start and will have double the number of books.
