Good Girl Cafe & Bookstore opened on September 13 at 2807 South Broadway in Englewood, Colo., after construction issues had delayed the launch from its original July date. The Englewood Herald reported that the store features only romance titles, along with a cafe offering drinks inspired by romance tropes.
Owner Meg Garcia-Jahrman said the bookstore and cafe pairing was inspired by shops that had played a role in providing comfort for her during a difficult time. She had always wanted to open such a business, and decided it was the time to follow that dream: "If now is not the time, I don't know when the time is going to be. So we might as well just go for it."
A self-described "big reader for a really long time," Garcia-Jahrman said that as she coped with the loss of her parents, "I think I read over 400 books over two years. It was truly my escape to remember that like happily ever afters do exist and that love is something that's really powerful too."
She was drawn to the Englewood area for many reasons: "I love that we're in Englewood because I love the South Broadway area. I come here for thrift shopping, vintage shopping, go to bars down here, do all that fun stuff, and eat down here too, because there's some really good food. I knew this would be a great location."
Garcia-Jahrman has transformed the storefront "with moody-green walls, plants and antique furniture that she said would fit right in at her own home," the Herald wrote. "I really wanted to create a space for people to come and sit for as long as they wanted and read or do a craft or do whatever feels good," she said, noting that she also wanted customers to know the store is a safe space, with disability and LGBTQIA+ representation on the shelves and the shop's beliefs posted on the website.
Good Girl Cafe & Bookstore was originally scheduled to open in July, but construction delays and a permitting oversight postponed its debut. In the interim, Garcia-Jahrman opened an online store and offered several pop-up events, where people have expressed their support and enthusiasm for the venture.
"So many people come up to me and they're like, 'I follow you on Instagram, and I can't wait for the store to open,' " she said. "So it's been really awesome to be able to meet so many people in the community who are really excited for what is happening."
Garcia-Jahrman also started a GoFundMe to help recoup some of the losses as delays caused the store to go without income. "I knew that the book community was super tight-knit, and the support was gonna be there for this, but I could never have anticipated how many people are rooting for us, and how much support they want to give," she said. "It is so mind-blowing to me how many people have been so supportive of us and just so excited."