ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
FALL HEAD OVER HEELS AT...
Folkestone’ s Romance-Only Bookshop
WHAT DO LONDON, LIVERPOOL, LEAMINGTON SPA, EDINBURGH AND NOW FOLKESTONE HAVE IN COMMON? THE ANSWER IS THEY’ RE ALL PROUD HOSTS TO ROMANCE-ONLY BOOKSHOPS. THIS GROWING TREND HAS BEEN GATHERING MOMENTUM IN THE PUBLISHING WORLD AND, IN MY OPINION( AS A ROMANCE AUTHOR), IT’ S ABOUT TIME TOO.
WORDS BY LOCAL ROMANCE AUTHOR, KATIE GINGER
FFor years, despite being one of the highest earning genres in commercial fiction, romance has faced snobbery and condescension for being easy to read( therefore easy to write) or fluffy. Yet, as more and more people seek uplifting fiction because the world is … well … a bit broken right now, romance books consistently top other genres such as literary fiction and crime and thriller, earning the most for publishing houses and topping the bestseller charts.
The growing trend for bricks-and-mortar bookshops is a hopeful sign that attitudes towards romance books are changing, led in part by social media apps such as TikTok. Romance readers, who are voracious and love to hold a paperback book in their hands, are celebrating and supporting those brave enough to open a specialist bookshop.
Now Kent has been lucky enough to be gifted one of its own: Cosy Cottage Romance, situated on the restored and reinvigorated Harbour Arm in Folkestone. What was once a working railway station, ferry port and departure point for soldiers on their way to the Western Front in World War I, is now the place to be. Since 2014, it’ s been reimagined and repurposed as a place where people can come to promenade, enjoy magnificent views, a wide choice of good food and drink, live music, arts events and other entertainment, and now with the growing number of businesses taking up residence in the marketplace, it’ s set to become even more of a destination for locals and tourists.
Cosy Cottage Romance might be in a small beach hut, but the range of romance books they hold is extensive, with something for every taste, from Young Adult( YA) to adult fiction, contemporary to historical, sweet to spicy, and including a mix of independently and traditionally published authors. There’ s also a range of accessories that bookworms will love including bookmarks, mugs, candles, tote bags and cute knickknacks. And there’ s a dog! The owner, Camilla, has a border collie named Lady, who often sits in the shop during the day. With author signings happening throughout the summer, it’ s worth checking out the events schedule and grabbing a signed copy as the perfect gift.
With the Harbour Arm’ s own events schedule and the other independent traders in the marketplace, Folkestone, with its growing cultural and arts scene, seems to be the perfect choice for Kent’ s first romanceonly bookshop, but as a romance author, I can’ t help but hope other towns in the county might soon follow!
Cosy Cottage Romance is open Saturdays and Sundays from 11am- 6pm and can be found at Hut 14, Folkestone Harbour Market. Katie Ginger( keginger. com) writes dreamy destination romance as Annabel French and is published by HarperCollins. Her books can often be found in your local supermarket and in wonderful independent bookshops like Cosy Cottage Romance.
cosycottageromance. com cosycottageromance
www. insidekent. co. uk • 63