Heart Swell Books, a brick-and-mortar romance bookstore, is officially open, stocked with swoon-worthy reads and cozy love stories.
Heart Swell, at 2700 N. Campbell Ave., isn’t just any bookstore, though. In addition to their curated shelves of popular romance books, owners and longtime friends Chelsea Blue and Shelbie Webb also sell a selection of beer, wines, non-alcoholic cocktails, coffee and teas. Because who doesn’t love a cozy evening with a glass of wine and a good book?
Owners of Heart Swell Books Chelsea Blue, left, and Shelbie Webb.
“I've always been an avid reader,” Webb said. “And it was my goal in life to own a bookstore.”
The romance focus was inspired by the rise in online popularity of the genre, as well as their desire to share the fun of romance books with readers.
“I think particularly women have had this experience over the last several years where on BookTok, the internet, they're getting these recommendations for romance books that maybe they wouldn't have read before, and they're really enjoying them,” Webb said.
People are also reading…
Heart Swell Books, 2700 N. Campbell Ave.
Blue and Webb said they wanted to create a space where romance readers could feel comfortable sharing their interest, and engage with a community of other fans.
“We feel like there's this need to explain that reading romance isn't a guilty pleasure, that joy is radical, that this is really important,” Blue said. “Romance is where it's at. It’s really good, really fun, it's filling our cup and there's no reason to feel guilty about it.”
On the shelves, romance fans will find books from all facets of the genre, including contemporary romance, romantasy, historical romance and dark romance.
“We have a very large LGBTQIA+ section as well as just a diverse selection in general,” Webb said.
Afternoon customers order drinks before browsing the book selection at Heart Swell Books.
Some of the well-known authors featured in the collection are Sarah J. Maas, Alix E. Harrow, Casey McQuiston and V.E. Schwab.
Not everything is solely romance, though. Heart Swell also has a collection of classic literature including “Pride and Prejudice”, “Emma” and “Little Women,” and a “fiction with love” section, for readers who might not be ready to venture fully into the romance genre.
“With romance, it technically needs to have a happily ever after,” Webb said. “Those are books that may not, but still have a beautiful love thread throughout them. Whether that be familial, friendships, anything in between, they're not necessarily romance.”
For younger readers, they also have a designated section for kids and Young Adult books.
“The idea is that truly anyone could get something here,” Blue said.
At its core, Webb and Blue said they want Heart Swell Books to be a place for Tucson book lovers to connect and relax.
“We really wanted to develop a space where people could hang out,” Webb said. “You do that by offering snacks and beverages and other things in addition to the books. I also just love the idea of a book and wine pairing.”
Heart Swell Books officially opened at the end of September. A few weeks in, they said they're already starting to see the community grow.
“Someone came in and she was like, ‘I don't have enough friends in Tucson,’ and it was so sweet because she ended up just talking to absolutely everybody who was in here,” Blue said. “That's just the type of people who come in here.”
