THERE was once a time when few people in Scotland would’ve felt comfortable reading a so-called “bodice-ripper” in public.
Yet since the publication of Fifty Shades Of Grey in 2011, the perception of romantic fiction has undeniably changed for the better.
As the opening of the UK’s first romance book shop in Edinburgh shows, the days of hiding a dog-eared Mills and Boon in a bedside drawer are, for many, a thing of the past.
“Romance fiction has actually been a billion-dollar industry for decades,” said Caden Armstrong, the owner of Book Lovers Bookshop.
“It was extremely popular in the 1970s and 1980s with Mills and Boon and Harlequin in the States. And, honestly, that popularity has not stopped.
“It’s just how we view and talk about the genre [that’s changed]”.
The 24-year-old Armstrong is originally from Los Angeles but moved to Scotland to pursue a Master's degree in publishing at Edinburgh Napier University.
A year ago, she got a job at The Edinburgh Bookshop in Bruntsfield and plunged headfirst into the world of bookselling.
“I always knew I wanted to open my own shop,” she said.
“I was very open about that and the owner of Edinburgh Bookshop, Marie, really took me under her wing and taught me more about bookselling in the UK.”
Armstrong’s own love for romantic fiction was instilled in her during childhood.
However, she believes the stigma that once surrounded the genre has reduced in recent years as publishers and authors begin to cater to wider and more diverse audiences.
“I grew up with a mother who was a big fan of Nora Roberts,” she said.
“Living in LA you’re in the car a lot and she would play Nora Roberts audiobooks all the time, making sure to skip over the steamy bits!
“As I got older and read more young adult books, I realised I also really enjoyed romance stories.
“But there was a lot of stigma against the genre for a long time. It was seen as a women’s genre and even by the time of Fifty Shades Of Grey, it was still seen as kind of taboo.
“You could read Fifty Shades Of Grey in public but you might still get comments like ‘My god, look at what she’s reading’.
“At Book Lovers Books, we really want to get across the message that readers don’t have to feel shame for liking these books or reading about pleasure, particularly women’s pleasure.”
The shop is decorated with gentle pastel shades and flowers.
Armstong has plans to paint the outside pink, pending approval from the council.
It’s a style that appears far more whimsical than seedy, perhaps showing that what attracts many fans to the genre is not salaciousness but rather contemporary depictions of love in all their messiness.
“Nowadays, romance is an incredibly diverse genre,” said Armstrong.
“And that’s something we really wanted the shop to reflect.
“We highlight queer authors, black authors, disabled authors, and stories from other marginalised communities that might not get highlighted in other spaces.
“Romance books were really one of the first places I was able to explore my own identity.
“Because when you have fiction that inherently talks about sex, you can very easily talk about other things like identity, sexuality and gender.
“It opens up conversations about how other people see the world.”
Indeed, support from the romance fiction community online helped Armstrong open the shop in the first place.
A crowdfunder raised just under £8000, which when added to money set aside by her grandmother allowed her to fund the shop.
“I think because romance readers were ostracised for so long we really look out for our own,” she added.
Book Lovers Bookshop becomes the latest addition to a city replete with independent – and successful – bookshops.
Yet while Armstrong professed to feeling a little nervous about entering this landscape, she said the reaction she received from fellow bookshop owners had been overwhelmingly positive.
“One of the things I love about Edinburgh is that it’s a city with so many independent bookshops that are successful and that all help one another,” she said.
“It’s beautiful and incredible to see and also to have access to so many specialist shops that cater to different audiences.
“I’m just so happy to be a part of it, now”.
Book Lovers Bookshop is located at 6 Melville Terrace, Edinburgh.
