October 30, 2025
Provided Image/Thrillerdelphia
Thrillerdelphia, a Manayunk bookshop dedicated to horror and thriller titles, is planning to do a soft opening Friday for Halloween.
The newest bookstore on Main Street has decidedly dark decor. The walls? Black. The ceiling? Black. The floors? A freshly restained dark walnut.
It's a fitting choice for Thrillerdelphia, a bookshop dedicated to horror and thriller titles. The storefront at 4203 Main St. is the first of its kind for Manayunk and, its owners believe, the wider city. They would know something about the fiction genre; they also sell romance novels at Cupid's Bookshop at 106 Grape St.
"We've always wanted to expand into another really amazing niche, and I think it was a great time to do it around the season, spooky season," said Tina Long, who co-founded Thrillerdelphia with her husband Anthony.
The couple is planning to do a soft opening Friday for Halloween, following weeks of creepy teasers on TikTok and Instagram. Readers can expect to see novels that blend the Longs' reading tastes. Anthony, the horror fanatic, teased scary stalwarts like Stephen King, R.L. Stine and Jonathan Maberry. Tina, who prefers psychological thrillers, is eager to stock Freida McFadden, Alex North and Riley Sager.
Thrillerdelphia is a bit bigger than Cupid's Bookshop at roughly 700 square feet and boasts an outdoor reading area. The Longs plan to host author signings, book clubs and possibly even AV club movie screenings in the space. Collaborative events with Lincoln Mill, the haunted house just two blocks away, are also in the works.
Following its holiday sneak peek, the shop will be open from 2-8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and noon-8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Mondays it will be closed for "plotting."
Thrillerdelphia in Manayunk features dark decor, with black walls and ceilings and dark walnut flooring.
Though the owners admit that Thrillerdelphia and Cupid's Bookshop — which is painted pink, with hearts dotting the windows — are very different spaces, they think there's overlap in their customer bases. Tina, who curates both stores, is a prime example.
"Sometimes you need a palate cleanser after all that smut," she jokes. "I do want something that scares me sometimes. ... I feel like romance and thriller/horror incite different emotions out of you where you're (either) blushing 'cause you're reading a scene or terrified."
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