Friends to Lovers Bookstore, 103 S St Asaph St.
Five years ago, the first romance bookstore opened in Los Angeles: The Ripped Bodice. Today, there are 16 bookstores focused on romance across the United States and Canada—and in November, the DC area will join that group when Friends to Lovers Bookstore opens in Alexandria.
Owner Jamie Fortin hopes to include a little of something for everyone. There will be at least one book or two in each major subgenre of romance, including historical romance, small town romance and “romantasy”—the latter a combination of romance and fantasy that’s a favorite on BookTok.
“It will be a community space for all women and queer people who love romance books,” Fortin said. “You’re not gonna see just white and straight romance. If you’re looking for small town romance, you’ll find queer and BIPOC representation. We want to make it so they’re not a niche find.”
The trope of “friends to lovers” has two meanings for Fortin. She has her own friends-to-lovers story with her boyfriend: they met through friends, got together at a Halloween party, and the rest is history. For the bookstore, it represents Fortin’s desire to not be “full spice” but makes it clear that this store is not for kids.
“This is for ‘when Mommy needs her wine and to go to the bookstore,’” she said. “It’s clearly for adult women and not just about reading smut. It’s about spending time with your friends and doing what you love.”
Fortin loved books as a child and got back into reading during COVID-19. Originally from San Diego, her first romantic bookstore visit was to that area’s Meet Cute Bookshop. She’s lived in DC for five years—working as a lobbyist after getting her degree in economics from Baylor University—and moved to Alexandria this past August. When moving, she wanted to contribute to the community of bookstores in Alexandria, having loved bookstores in DC. She notes Old Town Books and East City Bookshop as some of her favorites.
“I wanted something to differentiate from other bookstores, and this felt obvious to me,” Fortin said. “There are few bookstores in DC and the US with more than just a shelf [for romance novels]. In DC where it’s so transient, people are looking for an in-person space. We’ve heard of retail ‘scaling back’—but niche businesses are ‘scaling up’ because they’re looking to build community.”
That desire for community was inspired by Fortin’s group of friends, who she meets with regularly to discuss romance books. “We have great bars and community spaces, but the things we love don’t have a place,” she says. “DC is built around communities for people who want to network. But we’re just girls, we want to read our books, we have lives outside work, why are we only building infrastructure for men to talk about business?
“The primary goal is to make a safe community for these people in the DMV who are brilliant, who are not being catered to with current business markets. We deserve more gathering spaces.”
The buzz for Friends to Lovers on TikTok and Instagram has led to a November 14 grand opening selling out in 24 hours, with 200 people registered. (For fire safety reasons, Fortin recommends that people who haven’t registered for the event visit the relatively small store throughout that weekend). The store plans to participate in Alexandria’s Plaid Friday and have holiday events and genre-specific book clubs through the end of the year, with a calendar coming in November.
Fortin says that being a woman entrepreneur hasn’t come without challenges. While looking for quotes on costs and signing her messages with, “Thanks, Jamie,” she would get responses from people asking, “Is James there?” She credited the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership mentorship program and free resources for entrepreneurs, and Alexandria’s community of women business owners as a great support system.
“When talking to a man, I’d get, ‘Is this too niche?’” she said. “But women have been saying: ‘We’ve needed this for years.’”
UPDATE: On November 17, Friends to Lovers sustained severe smoke damage from a fire in the building and is in the process of crowdfunding via Go Fund Me to rebuild inventory and find a new home. The store is also looking into local popups, online shopping, and other ways to keep their community connected during the holiday season. Fortin says they are “so grateful for those who supported our grand opening, and we look forward to continuing to bring friendship, stories, and love to the DMV very soon.”
