Always on
This project successfully funded on 2nd November 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
The UK’s First Romantasy-Only Bookshop
Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Aim
I am raising money to open a permanent brick-and-mortar Romantasy Bookstore / Gift Shop in Oxford, called Bad Girl Books.
Hello everyone!
My name is Starlin, and it's my dream to create the UK's first brick-and-mortar Romantasy Bookshop, celebrating the genre the way I think it deserves! The idea for Bad Girl Books started because
1) I am OBSESSED with the Romantasy book genre - ACOTAR got it's claws in me a few years ago and I have been reading Romantasy non-stop ever since! And
2) I often feel embarrased going into bookshops to ask for recommendations, like I have to whisper the kinds of books I like reading and what I am looking for. On so many occasions I felt judgement for it - and got no good recs either! They usually only stock books I've already read, too.
But for me, reading Romantasy books has been so empowering and so fun. I don't think anyone should ever feel bad or shame for what they enjoy reading, and I think there needs to be a bookshop where people can go and proudly say "Hi I'm looking for a spicy faerie romance, ideally with a winged male protagonist who has a proclivity for murder please", and the book assistant would start gushing about all their favourite reads that fit that description! This place just doesn't exist in Oxford, so I've decided to create one!
If a book is spicy, I'm reading it.
There is so much stigma around romance and the romantasy genres, not being seen as real literature, or people looking down on it and trying to shame people who like it. But there is nothing wrong with loving 'bad girl' books, and we should start embracing it!
The vision for the shop:
Not only will Bad Girl Books have the largest variety of Romantasy books available from both UK and international authors, but aside from mainstream and well-loved 'classics', there will be space for so many more titles including works from independently published authors, hidden gems, as well as a lot of inclusive and diverse Romantasy authors who are queer, have disabilities, and are people of colour (with book characters representing these wonderful things, too)!
I envisage the shop to be 50% books and 50% gifts (I love a good gift shop mooch), so it will be fully stocked with a curated selection of high quality bookish merch from small businesses across the UK, including book boyfriend candles, soft sweatshirts, bookish stationary, cute mugs, and so much more!
Events & Community
But I have to say, I'm most excited to host regular events in this space. I want it to feel like a real community, where Romantasy book lovers can come and make friends, get their books signed by their favourite authors, feel like they have a safe space where they can yap about books constantly in a judegement-free zone, join book clubs, meet up for socials like romantasy quiz nights (pub quiz vibes), attend craft workshops, and more!
I would also love to know what you guys would want to see, who your favourite authors are, what events you would love to attend, and what you would most look forward to! I really want this to be a collaborative place where everyone in the amazing bookish community can meet up, have fun, and just chat about our favourite characters and book boyfriends and tropes!
What the fundraising will be used for:
The money raised from this Crowdfunder (and our upcoming pop-up events in London and Oxford) will go toward the set up costs needed to open this shop, including:
- Securing a lease for a permanent physical shop, paying the deposit and the initial rent
- Renovating the shop
- Buying furniture to house all the stock, and to have a cosy reading corner and community event space as part of it
- Purchasing all the stock: LOTS of books, special editions, sprayed edges, and thousands of bookish products from small UK businesses.
- Any additional donations and funding above our goal, will mean we can look at larger venues in better (more central) Oxford locations, offer more books and products, and host even more events!
The ideal launch date for this bookshop is November 2025, but this will depend on permanent venue availability in Oxford, which we are searching for now!
I will also be hosting multiple pop-up events over the next 12 weeks to help fundraise additional money that will help us reach the amount we need to set up a permanent shop! You can find details about our next pop-up in London on 13-14 September here.
And finally I just want to say, THANK YOU so so much. This book community has already shown Bad Girl Books so much support online and in person, and I really appreciate each and every one of you. This bookshop will only be possible because of your input, your passion and donations! I appreciate you all so much and can't wait for this adventure. Let's launch Bad Girl Books!
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Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made