<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>Exclusive:</span></strong><span> As the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/cost-of-living" rel="" target="_blank" title="cost-of-living crisis"><span>cost-of-living crisis</span></a><span> forces small Australian businesses to close physical stores, one unlikely niche seems to be thriving: romance book stores.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's because they offer something online shopping "could never compete with".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Once considered taboo, romance is now one of the biggest </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/literature" rel="" target="" title="fiction genres"><span>fiction genres</span></a><span> in Australia and accounts for tens of millions of dollars in book sales every year.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-weather-update-what-super-el-nino-means-for-coming-months/454a0f5c-afa2-49de-b1cc-bcb3a6916762" target="_blank"><strong><span>A 'super El Niño' looks likely for Australia, but it's impact remains uncertain</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Online book communities and successful book-to-film and -TV adaptations, like </span><em><span>Bridgerton</span></em><span> and </span><em><span>Heated Rivalry,</span></em><span> have only made it more mainstream.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But most Aussie readers aren't satisfied with e-books and buying novels online.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More than 75 per cent prefer physical books according to Monash University research, and they're willing to pay a premium for them.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/romance-book-stores-thriving-while-other-retailers-shut-exclusive/dbdf196c-46c5-4ea2-ac12-b97d32e26068" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's all great news for Scarlett Hopper.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She opened Romancing The Novel in Paddington, Sydney less than two years ago and business has been booming.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-exclusive-australian-workers-ai-training/ad59e869-eb6d-4b86-a5f0-5c703aed920b" target="_blank"><strong><span>Tech giant Microsoft unveiles $25 billion plan to reshape the Australian workplace</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's been so successful that while other retailers are struggling to keep the lights on in one store, Hopper is opening a second location in New Farm, Brisbane this August.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's a testament to romance because people used to shame it, they would knock it," Hopper told nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"And they still do, don't get me wrong.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But clearly something is really working because it's a billion dollar [global] industry."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>Have you got a story? Contact</span></strong></em><span> </span><strong><em><span>reporter Maddison Leach at</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="mailto:mleach@nine.com.au" target="_blank" title="mleach@nine.com.au"><strong><em><span>mleach@nine.com.au</span></em></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Aussies already come from all over to visit the Sydney store, where they're happy to pay $25 for novels they could get for half the price if they bought a digital version online.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Many are willing to pay up to $75 for special edition books, and some buy whole stacks in a single three- or four-figure transaction.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>What sets Hopper's store apart is the experience and community it offers, from in-store book clubs, to author signings and even celebrity appearances.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A lot of people in retail are really struggling, small businesses are struggling, and it's hard with the state of the world right now," she told nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But I think for romance, it's so much more than just a retail shop.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The bookstore is a community [and] right now people want community."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And they're willing to spend their hard-earned cash to be part of that community.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Especially if the physical location is part of the experience; whether it's a pink-drenched terrace shop in Paddington, or a vintage-inspired store above The Grounds at Eveleigh.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Author Kat T. Masen opened her second Books Ever After romance store above the iconic Sydney coffee spot in January.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It opened to a line of 500 people who waited up to three hours just to get in.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/asic-targeting-online-finfluencers-over-financial-advice/56d174d0-6c97-4039-902d-285dd5f7712e" target="_blank"><strong><span>Four 'finfluencers' targeted as warnings issued for TikTok money gurus</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There are two types of bookstores: a store that sells just books, and a store that makes you feel like you've stepped into heaven," Masen told nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It creates something which online shopping will never compete with."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That's exactly what she and Hopper offer, and it's why they're expanding while other retailers are shutting their doors.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Masen opened the first Books Ever After store in Bowral, NSW back in 2023.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Customers came in from all over the country and she soon set her sights on a second location in Sydney.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"With everything going on in the world, people are looking for an escape in their own home and what better way to escape then in a book?" Masen said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Right now, the demand is for more book stores."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-close-is-australia-to-recession-warning-signs-explained/f6c2e2a9-dc84-4f1c-8de3-d01c8e782eaa" target="_blank"><strong><span>Is Australia headed for a recession? The latest job data paints a grim picture</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She ran both stores simultaneously until March, when she shut the Bowral store.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The already quiet town was buckling under the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis and the fuel crisis meant fewer people were willing to make the drive.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Masen has no plans to downsize the business.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She's already scouting locations for a new store to keep up with demand from readers begging for romance book stores in Adelaide, Melbourne and even Perth.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>