Kiss & Tale: A Romance Bookshop, will open later this summer at 688 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, N.J. Owner Katie Cunningham "will parlay her interest in the genre into a retail space, opening a Collingswood storefront dedicated exclusively to the romance novel in all its forms," NJ Pen reported, adding that the space "is cozy, and Cunningham said she intends the storefront to host reading events as well as retailing books and other merchandise."
Located in a community she describes as "the most charming small town in New Jersey," Kiss & Tale is another key component to its shopping district. "They have everything for everyone. I want to celebrate books and authors," she said.
Crediting a curious mind and a love of the genre's plot tropes with keeping her hooked, Cunningham said, "I love all books, but if it has romance in it, it's going to be a better read for me. If it exists, it's going to be in my store; every genre and category, all romance. If you want to read it, I'm going to find it for you."
After earning a degree in communications and marketing, Cunningham pivoted to the culinary field initially. NJ Pen noted that Cunningham had opened K&A Bagel Café in Cherry Hill with her husband, Andrew, but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit she stepped back from the business to be a full-time mother.
Eventually she began planning a return to the workforce around her love of reading. "Honestly, my passion is reading and telling people about it," she said. "No matter where I'm at in life, romance books have always been there."
Cunningham said she is immersing herself in as many subgenres as she can to better to serve her customers: "I delved deep into genres that weren't really mine so that I could be a person who's a safe spot for people to come up and ask for a recommendation. Sometimes you need a little drama or some dragons and aliens; I want some more action in mine. We're all looking for our characters to end up together.... I think it's helping people be more open-minded and accepting of different things; showing us there's other ways of living, other ways of romance."