Atlanta Society category interest

A local teacher is starting a new chapter by opening Atlanta’s first romance bookstore.

All The Tropes Bookstore is in the works now in Kirkwood, on the east side of Atlanta. Expect a dark Victorian vibe, with lots of black, gold and deep green and purple. Chandeliers and rugs will accent the cozy, romantic space.

“I have a lot of good vintage pieces I found that will be in that space as well,” owner Kate McNeil said.

McNeil’s love of reading was reignited during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she found herself with more time at home. And she fell in love with a particular type of book that had never really struck her fancy before: romance.

“I was teaching from home, my kid was learning from home. I had a lot of downtime,” she said. “I thought, ‘Let me get back into reading.'”

She found herself on Booktok, a subcommunity on the TikTok app where users review and discuss books and all things reading.

“I don’t know how I ended up there, but I did,” McNeil said. “I’ve never been a romance reader. But I picked up a romance book and I was obsessed. I loved it.”

It was full steam ahead from there. She read about 70 books that year and joined a romance book group on Facebook, which has gained hundreds of new members since she first joined, showing her that romance book lovers are plentiful, passionate and diverse.

“They’re the greatest human beings I’ve ever met,” she said. “I thought, ‘I want to have a romance bookstore, I want to connect with people, I want to share my love and theories and all the things with these people.’ Honestly, it’s the best group.”

It was tough to find the ideal retail space for the shop, with enough room and parking needed to accommodate future events that are envisioned for the store: book signings, workshops and other functions to bring readers to together.

But McNeil knew she wanted to be in an east Atlanta neighborhood.

“I love my neighborhood,” she said. “I’m so glad I have a space here.”

As the shop is designed and built out, All The Tropes has been doing pop-ups, selling books and taking pre-orders for the in-demand Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. All The Tropes had a stand at Kirkwood Spring Fling, and they plan to be at the Kirkwood Wine Stroll on Sept. 20, 2024.

“I’d love to do more pop-ups,” McNeil said. “It’s a fun way to get to a new neighborhood and meet people.”

McNeil said the ideal opening date for All The Tropes Bookstore would be August 17, 2024, which is Bookstore Romance Day. Realistically, it might be slightly later than that.

But there’s no shortage of books for romance readers to dive into while they wait for the shop to officially open its doors. McNeil’s top recommendation? The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

“It’s an epic fantasy,” she said. “It’s such a good character, the female main character. Her growth was incredible. I love it. It’s the best series.”