Anchorage sisters tap readers’ rapture for romance with new bookstore

Ally Hartman, co-owner of Beauty and nan Book Alaska, welcomes successful customers for nan store’s expansive opening successful Anchorage connected Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

Ally Hartman and Baylee Loyd’s bookstore is an experience. Each of nan 3 rooms has a chopped vibe and different subgenres sorted by colors connected nan shelves. One room is greenish and white, different pink, and nan 3rd is black. 

“The acheronian room isn’t going to beryllium each romance. It’s going to beryllium mostly acheronian romance and fantasy. Because nan books, their covers, mostly fresh that vibe,” Hartman said.

Growing up, Loyd said she would publication immoderate she could get her hands on. Hartman said she hasn’t ever enjoyed reading. But erstwhile some sisters became pregnant successful 2022, Loyd said it gave them thing to enslaved over. 

“It was books. And past that’s really this full point came together,” said Loyd.

Beauty and nan Book Alaska specializes successful nan romance genre- a increasing inclination successful Alaska and around nan country. The store, located successful nan City Center portion promenade successful midtown, has been a nosy and fulfilling task for 2 sisters who bonded complete reference aft giving commencement to their first children. 

Loyd said she didn’t person overmuch clip to publication arsenic a young adult. She was moving afloat time, trying caller hobbies and managing a societal life. She said she fell into heavy postpartum slump aft giving commencement and was looking for a patient coping mechanism. She started reference nan Ice Planet Barbarians bid by Ruby Dixon. 

“I publication each 35 books successful nan series, wrong 2 weeks,” Loyd said.

Baylee Loyd, co-owner of Beauty and nan Book, ringing up customers for nan store’s expansive opening successful Anchorage connected Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

At slightest 9 other romance book stores opened crossed nan state past year. Several more, including Beauty and nan Book, are opening this year. The stores are taking advantage of a roar for nan genre. In 2022, income of romance books surged astir 52% according to Publishers Weekly. 

Some experts in installments nan TikTok hashtag #Booktok pinch helping thrust nan trend. It’s a ample subcommunity pinch complete 33 cardinal posts connected TikTok wherever readers stock and reappraisal books they’ve read. 

Dozens of customers lined up down nan sidewalk connected opening time Saturday. The sisters said they were amazed erstwhile customers began lining up almost an hr earlier opening. 

Hartman said they wanted to create a benignant of “haven” successful personification for romance book lovers successful Anchorage. Loyd said their shop has thing for everyone, from sports to technological romance, to much subtle forms of nan genre.

“You tin publication a slice to achromatic wherever you don’t get immoderate of nan ace hardcore romance scenes,” Loyd said. “You get a buss and a cuddle and past nan book’s over. And that’s cleanable for immoderate people.”

Hartman and Loyd opportunity they besides want their shop to transportation a action of romance novels that readers can’t find astatine large container stores. They reached retired to individual authors alternatively than publishers to banal their shelves, which Hartman said had its perks.

“They [authors] were sending america swag to person present that lucifer their books, they were sending america signed books,” Hartman said. “And sending america each their emotion and support giving america connections to publishers.”

Charlie Soderstrom waits successful statement to acquisition her caller finds astatine Beauty and nan Book Alaska successful Anchorage connected Saturday, June 8, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

The sisters opportunity their mom, Sasha Loyd, is their biggest protagonist and encouraged them to bring characteristic to nan space. She’s besides their investor. The sisters opportunity their mom isn’t a reader, but publication a four-book bid they recommended successful a month. Loyd admits she sounds connected her Kindle, but she said accepted book is simply a different experience.

“There’s really thing for illustration going into a shop and grabbing a book that nan screen looks interesting. Or you heard astir it connected #Booktok and you didn’t spell consecutive to your Kindle and download it,” Loyd said.

The sisters are fans of galore romance book stores, but 1 of their favorites happens to beryllium a fewer hours away.

Olivia Pack opened The Ivy successful Fairbanks successful February. To her knowledge, it was nan first romance bookstore successful nan state. She said she’s ever been a reader. She said location isn’t overmuch to do for nosy successful Fairbanks if you’re not an outdoorsy person. 

Pack is simply a mother to copy toddlers. Like Baylee Loyd, Pack said reference helped her postpartum slump and anxiety. She said The Ivy provides a abstraction for mothers to flight successful a book and “live a different life for a moment.”

“I conscionable figured, what would beryllium amended than to unfastened up a romance bookstore and thief springiness women you know, a patient hobby to person extracurricular of for illustration being a mom aliases moving afloat clip aliases immoderate it is,” said Pack.

Pack said she wasn’t judge really overmuch of a request location was for romance novels, aliases a bookstore dedicated to them. But she said customers were lined up extracurricular nan building opening day, and galore became regulars.

She said nan organization gets excited astir caller section businesses popping up, whether it beryllium her bookstore aliases a restaurant.

“Anytime a caller mini business pops up, and conscionable erstwhile I’ve been present for a agelong time, everyone really tries to nurture them and you know, conscionable really support them,” Pack said.

For Pack and nan Beauty and nan Book sisters, opening nan bookstores is simply a passion project. Hartman said she’s not expecting to get rich | disconnected trading books, and it’s not her extremity either. 

“This is thing we’re going to bask doing,” Hartman said. “It’s conscionable thing fun, you know. You unrecorded specified a short life. You tin activity super, ace hard, aliases you tin bask nan small things. And this is 1 of those small things that we tin enjoy.”

Beauty and nan Book sold truthful overmuch inventory connected opening time that they couldn’t reopen Sunday. But by Wednesday, they had restocked nan shelves, and were fresh to waste much books.