A love letter to Louisville: A Novel Romance bookstore opens new, larger space in Jeffersontown

Calling all hopeless romantics. After only 11 months, A Novel Romance bookstore is expanding and opening in a new, much larger location at 10512 Watterson Trail in Jeffersontown.

Owner Jonlyn Scrogham, 37, said she opened the niche bookstore, which sells all genres of romance, including fantasy, dark romance, and LGBTQIA+, as a way to honor a friend who died.

"I lost someone very close to me, and I was trying to figure out how to channel that," Scrogham said.

Scrogham said she spoke to this friend about what they would do with their lives if they had all the money and resources in the world.

Scrogham told her friend she would own a bookstore, hands down.

"I had taken myself to Asheville for a week to get away from everything. The very first book I picked up after going through the things I had gone through was 'One Last Stop' by Casey McQuiston," Scrogham said. "I finished it 20 minutes after I arrived in Asheville and it was just so cathartic and beautiful. There were parts that were sad but still so hopeful, and I thought 'this is what I want to provide for people.'"

Now, Scrogham hopes to offer that same healing journey to others through her bookstore, A Novel Romance.

"This is my love letter to the community," Scrogham told the Courier Journal.

A Novel Romance originally opened in 2023 in a small, 288-square-foot space in Middletown. Scrogham figured she would have to upgrade to a larger location in a few years, but it was mere months before she realized a new space was necessary.

The new building, which held its grand opening on June 15, is 2,400 square feet, and boasts three couches, lots of chairs, and a writing room, lovingly called the 'noveling nook.' That dedicated space where people can sit and write further sets A Novel Romance apart from other bookstores in the area.

"It's a long table with chairs around it. There's writing resource books available for people to use, Wi-Fi, power outlets and a couple of computers," Scrogham said. "Basically, if there's any obstacle presenting itself for someone to be able to write, we want to be able to overcome that obstacle."

In addition to the 'noveling nook,' the bookstore also hosts several romance genre book clubs where book lovers can connect with others to discuss books and build community.

A Novel Romance is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Reach business reporter Bailey Reed at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: A Novel Romance bookstore opens new, larger space in Jeffersontown