Romance isn’t dead after all. Pace’s first “romance bookshop,” Nook & Quill, is now open for business at 4361 Fifth Ave., drawing hundreds of customers during this month’s grand opening weekend hoping to discover their new favorite read.
Nook & Quill owner Shelby Carter, a lifelong reader, dove deep back into reading in 2019, a hobby that only magnified during the pandemic. Now, she’s sharing her favorite genre with the Pace community.
“I feel like it’s the genre that gets the most heat or the most hate because everyone’s like, ‘Oh, it’s your little romance book.’ So I feel like I also wanted to be a voice for the genre,” Carter said. “The stories are written well. The authors are amazing. The romance community is amazing.”
While Carter has been operating as a mobile book vendor mainly throughout Santa Rosa County for about a year, leaning into the book community was always a dream. She envisioned a place where people could come to discuss their favorite fandoms in a book club, meet a local author and snag a signed copy, or stay up until midnight waiting for their favorite new release.
She designed her physical shop to be cozy and inviting, with soft pink walls, homey wood accents, comfortable seating and a mini refrigerator with cool drinks in case you get thirsty. She settled on Nook & Quill as a name because she wanted to provide the store with an element of whimsy. Through every little detail, including the vampire-inspired restroom lit by candlelight, she accomplished just that.
She wanted to create a comfortable, calm environment where “people want to come in here and work, or put their headphones in and listen to an audio book.”
Throughout the store, shelves are stocked with special edition copies and sprayed edges, and you can find several interactive experiences unique to Nook & Quill, including a build-your-own bookmark bar for $5, and a Blind Date book shelf that Carter packs herself with bundles that include a mystery new release, stickers, eye mask, tea and more.
The store is composed mainly of new edition copies, some of which only independent booksellers have access to, but she does have a small collection of used books available at a lower price. Customers can even trade in their prime condition older copies for store credit to pick out something new in exchange.
She offers everything from the popular BookTok trending titles to lesser known local authors, which has provided her with some of her favorite finds.
While she leans toward the romantasy genre, favoring authors such as Sarah J. Maas, author of the popular Fourth Wing series, the store is divided up into a diverse variety of genres, including contemporary romance, gothic fantasy, and dystopian.
“For me, I wanted to be able to be a part of the community, not just try to like sell to the community,” Carter said. “A lot of times, in the romance genre especially, they do a lot of like mental health representation, and they do a lot of (scenarios) where you might think you’re the only one going through something. Then you see yourself in a book, and then when that’s someone else’s favorite book as well, you can connect with that person. So I think it’s just a way to connect and be seen.”
Her target audience is shoppers 18 years and older, however she does offer a small children’s area for parents who want to keep their little ones occupied while they read.
While Carter plans to grow the store in time to allow more seating, extended hours and even a dirty soda bar, she is thrilled to be open and create a new fun option for Pace. Customers have been excited too, as her grand opening weekend this month drew about 500 people to her doors.
Nook & Quill is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Nook & Quill is closed on Sunday and Monday.
Carter has a lot of events in store, ranging from tea parties to Twilight. For real-time information on Nook & Quill’s happenings, follow them on social media at Nook & Quill Romance Bookstore.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pace’s new bookstore, Nook & Quill, is a romance reader’s dream
Reporting by Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY Network
