Romantasy bookshop opens its doors in the UK for the first time
The UK’s first dedicated romantasy bookshop has opened in Edinburgh, catering to a readership that has quietly grown into one of publishing’s most bankable forces. The shop, tucked along a cobblestone stretch of the Old Town, stocks nothing but fantasy romance — a genre that blends epic world-building with love stories and, yes, sometimes explicit content. But the owners are adamant it’s far more than that.
A genre that refuses to be embarrassed
Romantasy — a portmanteau of romance and fantasy — has exploded since around 2021, driven in large part by BookTok, the reading community on TikTok that now claims over 200 billion views under its hashtag. Sarah J. Maas, whose A Court of Thorns and Roses series practically defined the genre for a new generation, has sold more than 39 million copies worldwide. Yet for years, fans described feeling almost apologetic about what they read.
That’s changing fast.
“People come in and they immediately relax,” said the shop’s co-founder, who spent 11 years working in mainstream bookselling before making the leap. “There’s no judgment here. They don’t have to hide the cover on the tube.”
What’s actually on the shelves
The 600-square-foot space is organised not by author but by trope — enemies-to-lovers, fated mates, dark academia, slow burn. It’s a system that will make immediate sense to anyone in the community and baffle everyone else. Around 400 titles are stocked at launch, with plans to expand to roughly 700 by spring. Staff picks come with handwritten notes. A reading nook near the back window fits three people, uncomfortably, which seems entirely on brand.
The shop also carries merchandise — enamel pins, candles scented to match specific books, and edge-painted special editions that sell for upwards of £40. These aren’t impulse buys. Customers have been known to queue for limited print runs.
More than a niche, less than a punchline
Critics of the genre often fixate on the spicier elements — the scenes that readers euphemistically call “spicy” or, more bluntly, “smut.” But that framing misses what’s actually driving sales. Romantasy readers skew female, aged roughly 18 to 35, and many describe the books as emotionally restorative. The fantasy scaffolding lets authors explore consent, power, and identity in ways that straight contemporary romance sometimes can’t.
A spokesperson for the Booksellers Association noted that specialist independent shops have consistently outperformed expectations in recent years, with fiction niches proving especially resilient. “Readers want curation and community, not just a transaction,” they said.
What comes next
The Edinburgh shop is already planning a series of evening events — author signings, “spice rating” nights where staff debate how to categorise new releases, and a book club that meets monthly. A second location, likely in Manchester or London, is being scouted for late 2025.
The genre isn’t slowing down. And neither, it seems, are the people who love it.
