Bookstore Romance Day is Saturday, August 15, 2026 and several shops around Western New York are joining in the celebration.
“Bookstore Romance Day is a day designed to give independent bookstores an opportunity to celebrate Romance fiction—its books, readers, and writers—and to strengthen the relationships between bookstores and the Romance community,” according to the organizers of the annual observance.
“Some independent bookstores are still … too snobbish to carry romance books in their store, but [Bookstore Romance Day] has created a dialogue,” Bob Lingle of Good Neighbor Bookstore explained in a video post. “Now more bookstores are carrying romance books — to the point that some bookstores are only carrying romance books.”
For Good Neighbor Bookstore, romance started off with just two shelves, Lingle said. “Then [it] became a whole bookcase, and then became a whole bookcase plus one of our front displays, plus a whole other shelf.”
“It has helped our sales and our romance readers appreciated that they can just pop into the store and pick up the book that they’re looking for,” Lingle added.
Western New York participants include:
- Afterglow Books on Allen Street in Buffalo
- Vibe Yoga Lab Books and Breath off West Main Street in Lancaster
- Author’s Note on Main Street in Medina
- Good Neighbor Bookstore on Chautauqua Avenue in Lakewood
- The Beekeeper’s Bookshop on Route 16 in Franklinville
- Act 4 Books on South Main Street in Perry
- Lift Bridge Book Shop on Main Street in Brockport
Offerings and activities vary by store. Good Neighbor will host author Lorinda Faye from noon until 2 p.m. Afterglow Books, which specializes in romance and fantasy, is giving 15 percent off selected romance and romantasy books, as well as giveaways such as hats, tote bags and stickers. (Afterglow Books is a 501c3 nonprofit, which is pretty cool.) The Beekeeper’s Bookshop will have Tarot readings.
Vibe Yoga Lab could use some extra love as the store recovers from recent flooding. Rest assured, they will be open Saturday and all books will be 15 percent off.
Access to several virtual events is available through https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/bookstore-romance-day-2026-4859517
Find more information at bookstoreromanceday.org or at @bkstoreromanceday on Instagram.
