Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of The Ripped Bodice, a brick and mortar bookstore dedicated entirely to romance books! I first learned of TRB a few months ago at the LARA chapter of RWA. Bea Koch was in attendance and told us of her Kickstarter campaign. Naturally I said, “TAKE MY MONEY!!!”
Fortunately, many others said the same thing, and the project was successfully funded.
I am delighted by the backstory of the store. It was founded by two sisters, Bea and Leah Koch. You can read all about their journey on their website. It features two of my favorite things – sisters and romance novels.
Rebekah Weatherspoon signing at The Ripped Bodice
The grand opening was a smashing success. There were local authors signing books, live music, light refreshments, and hundreds of romance lovers!!
Tessa Dare signing at The Ripped Bodice
I couldn’t help picking up a few books. I indulged in The Castles Ever After series by the lovely Tessa Dare (Romancing the Duke is NOT to be missed!) and I bought my toddler her first copy of Pride and Prejudice! (It’s a child’s counting book, and she already loves Lizzy and Darcy as much as the rest of us.)
The naughty erotic section
I was charmed by the design of the store. Each of the sections have a little bit of personality representative of the genre. I couldn’t help but giggle at how they put the erotica section in the back behind a curtain ala the adult section in old video stores.
The spooky paranormal shelves
It’s easy to imagine vampires and shifters perusing the shelves in the paranormal aisle.
As I waited in line to pay for my books I met several friendly fellow romance lovers. Being inside The Ripped Bodice is like being in a clubhouse where you don’t have to make excuses for, or justify your choice in reading material. We all love romance. We all love LOVE! and we all love The Ripped Bodice – may it be the first of many romantic bookshops.