Lovestruck Books, a romance bookstore, cafe, and wine bar, made its debut in Cambridge, Mass., last week.
Located at 44 Brattle St., near Harvard Square, the bookstore spans more than 5,000 square feet and offers romance titles along with a small children's section and a curated selection of non-romance reads. The cafe and wine bar are not yet open, but owner Rachel Kanter plans to have them up and running by the end of January. She also has an official opening weekend slated for January 17.
Kanter has already held some off-site events prior to the store's opening, and in July, she told Shelf Awareness that her event plans include book clubs, author talks, boudoir photo shoots, paint-and-sip nights, Drag Story Hour, and more.
Before launching Lovestruck, Kanter's only experience with bookstores was as an avid customer. Her professional background was in teaching, and she has taught English and worked at educational nonprofits. Following a return to Cambridge last year after about a decade away from Boston, she was dismayed to see a beloved local coffee shop closing.
She hoped someone would reopen it, and began considering the idea of doing it herself, as a cafe and romance bookstore. When the Ripped Bodice opened a second location, in Brooklyn, N.Y., she felt confident it was the right thing to do.