{"id":152540,"date":"2026-03-30T18:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T18:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/152540\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T18:24:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T18:24:08","slug":"romance-is-revolutionary-new-queer-woman-owned-bookstore-comes-to-lawrenceville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/152540\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Romance Is Revolutionary\u2019: New Queer Woman-Owned Bookstore Comes to Lawrenceville"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tiffy1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

TIFFY OVERLY OUTSIDE OF HER STOREFRONT AT 4745 BUTLER AVE. IN LAWRENCEVILLE. | PHOTO BY OLLIE GRATZINGER<\/p>\n

Love is in the air in Lawrenceville.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Shelf Love Society <\/a>is the passion project of Tiffy Overly, who says the April 11 opening of the city\u2019s newest romance-only bookstore has been more than a year in the making. But she also promises it will be a happy ending well worth the wait.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep pinching myself,\u201d Overly says. \u201cI never thought that I would open a business, but it\u2019s been really exciting and fun and scary.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh-area native has lived in Squirrel Hill for the last 11 years, and has been a nanny or stay-at-home mom for the last 25. But as a voracious reader \u2014 she says she read about 300 books last year \u2014 Overly struggled to find romance novels in traditional stores that modeled her kind of love. She decided it was time for a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m queer, I\u2019m poly, and so finding stories that look like the way my life looks is really difficult, and I hate that,\u201d she says. \u201cThe whole emphasis of this was that it should be really easy for people to find love stories that look like the type of love they have, and it\u2019s not. I want to make a place where it is easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

In general, traditional bookstores sell about 10% queer fiction and 90% straight fiction, Overly says, but the Shelf Love Society will be half and half on opening, with the intention of skewing more toward LGBTQ+ stories as time goes on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Shelf Love Society is Pittsburgh\u2019s second romance-only bookstore, joining Passionate Pages, also located just a few blocks away on Butler Street, in the niche market. Passionate Pages opened in late January<\/a>, and Overly says she has visited once. She explains that the Shelf Love Society\u2019s vibes will be a little different, citing its strong focus on diverse, queer and indie voices opposed to romantasy and popular romance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe romance industry is large and diverse and there is room for both,\u201d Overly says.<\/p>\n

As Overly\u2019s shelves fill with tomes ahead of opening day, a growing number of subgenres are finding themselves represented there, from closed-door romance to spicy passages and just about everything in between. There are also sections for paranormal romance and local indie authors, along with an assortment of stickers, candles and apparel by local makers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The store will also have a little nook behind the register that will serve as a playroom for small children, so mothers can shop with peace-of-mind.<\/p>\n

\"Img<\/a><\/p>\n

THE CHILDREN\u2019S NOOK AT THE SHELF LOVE SOCIETY. | PHOTO BY OLLIE GRATZINGER<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of moms read, and I wanted moms to feel like they can bring their small children in and browse safely without having to worry about their kids,\u201d Overly says. \u201cAnd I want my 3 year old to be able to feel comfortable here, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The building, which previously held the clothing boutique Morrow & Dean, is smaller than Overly had envisioned when she first began thinking about opening a bookstore, but nevertheless, it was love at first sight. She had been dreaming about Lawrenceville as the ideal neighborhood to host her shop, thanks to its queer-friendly reputation, walkable streets and support for small businesses, but she didn\u2019t think it was possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018That will never happen,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s not enough turnover.\u00a0People go in there, and they stay in there. They build roots.\u201d<\/p>\n

But her hair stylist, with whom she shares a realtor, told her about the space on Butler Street; she set up a viewing the next day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kismet,\u201d she says, adding that ultimately, it all boiled down to the wallpaper.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She had already gotten the finished design package for the bookstore from her graphic designer, and the colors had already been set: dark and sage greens, black accents, baby pink and wine red. When she set foot into the building on Butler Street, she noticed right away that the wallpaper from the previous tenant, which was still in place, matched her color palette to a T.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, this is just meant to be. Somebody wants me to be in here,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"Shelf<\/a><\/p>\n

THE SHOP WAS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN LATE MARCH, BUT THE FLORAL AND VELVET WALLPAPERS FROM THE PREVIOUS TENANT FIT ITS THEME PERFECTLY. | PHOTO BY OLLIE GRATZINGER<\/p>\n

The shop\u2019s limited space also forces Overly to curate carefully, she explains, but in this case, less is more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want there to be books for everyone, because being seen is to be loved,\u201d she says. \u201cI hated not having a community and people that understood me and my family and the way we love each other, so I just got stuck on the idea of creating it.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to data from BookScan<\/a>, LGBTQ+ romance novels represent a small but rapidly booming niche; only about 4% of all romance novels feature queer stories and characters, but sales experienced a whopping 40% increase in the year ending May 2023, far outpacing the general romance market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s something that Overly noticed, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think romance, especially if you get into spicier romance, does not garner the respect it deserves,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople want to read about love. Romance is where I found the queer joy stories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And for Overly, queer joy stories are more important now than ever, as some legislation proposed around the U.S.<\/a> aims to ban books that focus on queer characters, plotlines or themes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep saying, \u2018romance is revolutionary.\u2019 I keep saying that reading is policial. To me, being a queer woman who owns a business is defiant. It is an act of resistance in itself,\u201d she says. \u201cProviding a safe space for people who don\u2019t feel safe in the political climate we live in and who don\u2019t feel represented, to me, is a form of resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Shelf Love Society\u2019s grand opening will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 11. Overly says it will feature raffles, giveaways, sugar cookies \u201cand just a lot of excitement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The following day, the shop will host Katey Hawthorne<\/a> for the first of many book signings with local authors. Hawthorne will be featuring her book \u201cHeart Wood<\/a>,\u201d an ecofantasy romance, but Overly adds that the shop will carry a few other titles by Hawthorne, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI have so many ideas and goals, and I\u2019m so excited,\u201d Overly says. \u201cI cannot wait to be able to share everything I\u2019ve been working on with everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Img<\/a><\/p>\n

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