April 18, 2025
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoice
Cupid's Bookshop, which is opening Thursday, will be the first romance-specific bookstore in Philadelphia.
Tina Long has been an avid romance reader since the heyday of the "Twilight" and "Fifty Shades" series. And the rise of Bookstagram and BookTok, the corner of social media devoted to readers, only fueled her dream to one day open her own romance-themed store — which came true sooner than she thought.
"It was always kind of — I'll do it when I retire," said Long, a Manayunk transplant by way of Brooklyn who works in health care. "An opportunity came up for a space and the time was right."
Cupid's Bookstore, opening Thursday, April 24, at 106 Grape St. in Manayunk's Incubator Space, will be a 600-foot spot filled exclusively with romance novels. Long will carry about 700 titles separated out by subgenres, such as historical, paranormal and erotica. She will also sell candles, greeting cards and Kindle stickers. And eventually, she plans to partner with Libro.fm, an app for purchasing audiobooks from local stores.
Long said she wants it to be a safe space for lovers of romance, a genre that doesn't always gain the same respect as others. During one trip to a bookstore, she recalled an employee scoffing at her when she asked to point her to the section.
"Romance is still considered a joke sometimes," Long said. "I want my space to feel like there's no shame if you want to read a book about monsters or aliens or fairies — no judgment."
Cupid's Bookshop will exclusively carry romance novels in its 600-foot space at 106 Grape St.
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoice
Once it opens, Cupid's will be the first romance-specific bookstore in Philadelphia — although Kiss & Tale, a similar store in Collingswood, New Jersey, opened in October.
"I love escapism," Long said. "I love that it's all in your mind, imagining whoever that character, that love interest is, and it's in your brain. And everyone's so different, even if it's the same book, everyone has a different idea of who that person is."
Cupid's Bookshop will be open noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m on Saturdays, and 11 a.m-6 p.m. Sundays.
