Grand Gesture Books and The Rise of Romance Bookstores

Romance, once relegated to the back of the bookstore, is having a moment, which many attribute to the desire for a story with a happy ending during a time of global turmoil (see our article on Collecting Romance Fiction). It is now the highest-grossing genre in fiction and, in most stores, the often candy-colored covers are put in a prominent location. With the genre continuing to grow, romance-focused bookstores are also popping up all over the world.

Katherine D. Morgan, owner of Grand Gesture Books, used to run the romance section of Powell’s, the world’s biggest independent bookstore, located in Portland, Oregon. However, she dreamed of a little place to call her own, and so she started Grand Gesture Books, which was previously online and, in time for holiday shopping, opened a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Portland. She decided to make this dream of a romance bookstore a reality “because I was frankly sick of romance authors skipping the Pacific Northwest or only going to the West Coast.” Of the new store - a cozy 1,200 square foot downtown storefront complete with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a reading nook - Morgan said, “I’m hopeful that I can bring some new and more established talents.”

Besides being one of the first romance-focused bookshops in Oregon, Morgan wanted to celebrate the genre “because right now, the world is terrible and people are simply looking for joy. Romance is a genre where you know how it’s going to end, but you’re more interested in the journey than anything else. It makes people happy and brings them together.” Her passion and, as she put it, “stubbornness and can-do attitude” fuel her.

There is a lack of diversity in bookstores beyond genre-focused ones. The majority of published authors are white, including in the romance genre. Grand Gesture strives to show the world as it actually is, including in genre fiction. Grand Gesture is queer and Black-owned, and Morgan said she’s “eager to stock and discover more indie and traditional romances by marginalized authors” with the hope “that everyone can come into my store and find themselves in a book where the character doesn’t always look like them. I think that that’s important."

Traditionally, romance features young, straight, white women, but with the growth of the genre, the protagonists and love interests have begun to diversify. And when it comes to the genre, Morgan doesn’t buy the stereotype that it’s frivolous beach reads. She said, “Romance books are important because they can teach people how to love each other but also how to love themselves as well. So many people want to believe that they’re worthy of love, and I love getting to talk to customers about what their expectations are.”