‘You need the happily ever after’: Kiss & Tale bookstore in Collingswood opens for romance lovers

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With drought conditions lingering in the region, a long-awaited rainy day provided the right weather to curl up with a good book. For those looking to do just that, a visit to a new romance bookstore in Collingswood, New Jersey could provide a heart-warming next read.

Katie Cunningam opened Kiss & Tale: A Romance Bookshop in October to appeal to local readers. After stepping away from the café she and her husband opened nine years ago and with her kids going back to school, Cunningham wanted to pursue something different. She looked to her husband and outside influences for ideas.

“While we’re trying to figure out my next step in life, I’m just reading a book a day and I’m just, like, visiting bookstores and talking to bookstore owners like, ‘Oh, you guys are living the dream,’” Cunningham recalled. “At the same time, all these romance bookstores [are] popping up all over the country.”

Cunningham, who has been reading romance books since she was in her early teens, proposed the romance bookstore idea to her husband, and he was instantly supportive.

“It was just quick like, ‘Okay, let’s find the spot. It has to be in Collingswood and if we find the spot it’s meant to be,’ and then it just kind of went from there,” Cunningham said.

They eventually found a quaint storefront on Haddon Avenue, Collingwood’s bustling main street. After plenty of measuring and creative maneuvering the space was transformed to embody the romance vibe. The walls are painted an apt shade of bubblegum pink and a lip-shaped loveseat and other pink plush chairs provide places for customers to browse through the shop’s selection.

Cunningham will often tailor recommendations to customers and has a detailed approach to finding books for first-time romance readers — even asking customers if they are in the mood for a lighthearted or emotional read.

For a unique experience, customers can opt for a blind date with a book — a wrapped book with clues on the outside, hiding the author and title until opened —  sourced from a local secondhand bookstore to support the community. The spice level is marked on the wrapped covers and is outlined for other books throughout the store.

Kiss & Tales’ books are shelved based on common romance sub-genres and she even includes a section for local authors. Some of the subgenres are as specific as aliens or Jane Austen-inspired novels, but they all have one thing in common.

“To make it a romance book that sits on these shelves, you have to have a happily ever after,” Cunningham said. “And if there’s not one, it better be because it’s in a series and we’re going to get to one. Otherwise, you’re just a book with romance but you need the happily ever after.”

Cunningham carefully selects the merchandise she offers, focusing on books and accessories from women-owned businesses. When it comes to selling books by women authors, Cunningham explained, “It’s just the genre, this is the nature of the books.”

Although romance fiction is often marketed toward women, Cunningham said one of her loyal customers is a man who bought nearly an entire shelf worth of books on his first visit.

She credited the growing acceptance of the romance genre to the online book community and the influence of social media.

“Like BookTok and bookstagrammers, just putting out all their books, making reels and videos and creating fan art and making it this socially acceptable thing,” Cunningham said.

Immersed in romance books daily, it’s challenging to keep up with all of her inventory and social media trends. Still, Cunningham manages to read about three books a week — now as part of her job and not solely for pleasure.

Kiss & Tale is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“I feel like there’s something here for everybody as long as you [appreciate] love in some aspect of your life,” said Cunningham. “I say give romance a shot.”