Calling all BookTokers and sentimentalists: Toronto’s new Queen Street West bookstore is made for the lovers — of love, of books and of happily-ever-afters.
After spending a year charming readers at Stackt Market, co-owners Kearston Bergeron and Serena Goodchild have opened the doors to their newest and most permanent location of Hopeless Romantic Books at 1080 Queen St. WeWst. The all-romance bookstore officially debuted on Oct. 11, bringing a full-sized “Barbie dream house” for book lovers to the city’s west end.
Hopeless Romantic began as a fantasy— a n idea tossed around between two girls who simply loved to read. “Kearston and I talked about how fun it would be to open a bookstore,” says Goodchild. “It started more as a fantasy idea than anything serious. The more we talked about it, the more we started to realize it was something we actually wanted to do.”
One day, Bergeron walked through Stackt Market and noticed available retail units. “She reached out to their management with an inquiry,” says Goodchild. “Eventually we had all the info on how to open up the store, and had to make the decision on what to do with it — before you knew it we were opening up a bank account and each depositing our savings into it to make this happen.”
The name, too, came after rounds of brainstorming. “We had a long list of names and ideas that we sifted through,” she says.
And yes, even the phone number is on theme: 437-473-SMUT.
From floor to ceiling, Hopeless Romantic Books is unapologetically pink. “We definitely wanted people to think ‘Barbie dream house’ when they walked in,” says Goodchild. “We also are the type to either go big or not at all — so we knew when we came up with the concept we had to go all-in.”
Their influences blend retro flair with Y2K nostalgia and a touch of Toronto charm: “Sabrina Carpenter, Barbie dream house, retro/vintage, Y2K — and believe it or not, La Cubana, a Cuban restaurant in Toronto,” she adds.
Every inch of the store carries that wide-eyed spirit of hope and romance. “Everything was a labour of love,” says Goodchild. “The main areas to highlight are the secret room which opens when you pull on a specific book, the rolling ladder and the checkout counter that actually hides the entrance to the basement. Honourable mention to our spice wall, and popcorn machine!”
Beyond the pink walls and secret doors, every corner of Hopeless Romantic is designed for discovery. Books are organized by subgenre — think romantasy (romance-fantasy hybrids), contemporary love stories, queer romances, sports romances and more — all neatly stacked beneath a glittering disco ball. For the indecisive reader, a “book spice level” guide helps match every mood, rating stories on a one to five chili pepper scale from sweet and plot-focused to full-on steamy.
Hopeless Romantic is, as its name suggests, romance only — and proudly so. “As a romance-only bookstore, we obviously focus on romance (AKA must end with a HEA — happily ever after),” says Goodchild. “We try to balance bringing in the popular selections — what’s trending on BookTok or the best sellers lists — but we also try to highlight local and Canadian authors, as well as LGBTQ2S+, BIPOC and independently-published authors.”
When it comes to curation, the sisters keep an open mind. “Our motto is that we do not yuck anyone’s yum — therefore any romance book is worthy of being on the shelves,” says Goodchild. They even encourage recommendations.
They’re especially proud to spotlight Canadian indie authors like Rochelle Wolf, AJ Vrana, Nia Myst and Arezou Amin, whose debut novel The Aroosi Arrangement launched at the shop this month.
Neither sister comes from the publishing world — but that’s part of the magic. “Kearston is a midwife, and I work in the municipal government world as a city clerk,” says Goodchild. “We just have a love of reading and wanted a new challenge and to build a community with other romance lovers.”
That community focus extends to the way the store welcomes every visitor. “We want it to be a safe, inclusive place for those who love romance novels,” says Goodchild. “Whether you like no-spice to our level five ratings, we want people to feel comfortable coming in and selecting whatever they want — age gap, fake dating, monster romance, whatever the trope is.”
One of the most popular features, though, isn’t a book on the shelf — it’s the mystery. Their “Blind Date with a Book” display features novels wrapped in brown paper, labeled only with their tropes, themes and chili pepper rating. Customers pick purely on content, not covers, and if they’ve already read their surprise title, they can swap it for something new. The idea has become a fan favourite among romantics who love a little suspense with their happily-ever-afters.
The shop invites visitors to linger, too. Plush pink lounge chairs by the front windows are perfect for flipping through the few first chapters of your next read, while a hidden room at the back reveals a glitter-dusted TV playing comfort classics like Pride and Prejudice and Twilight. Whether you’re browsing for five minutes or spending an afternoon in its rosy glow, Hopeless Romantic feels like a space built for connection — with books, and with each other.
