HEA Book Boutique makes more room for romance

CEDAR RAPIDS — Less than three years after opening in Uptown Marion, one of the nation’s first romance-focused bookstores is already growing, celebrating its reopening this month in an expanded space in Cedar Rapids.

HEA Book Boutique opened for business Jan. 10 at the new location, 588 Boyson Rd. NE, No. 116.

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Owner Jenn Draper said the move nearly doubled the store’s space, providing room for more books and opportunities for more events.

“It was just becoming quickly apparent that we needed to have more room within the space in the store and also more shelving space for the titles that we wanted to carry,” Draper said.

Since opening in October 2023, the bookstore has built a loyal base of customers who are looking for a little romance in their reading lives.

“I think it’s always been a really popular topic because I think everyone needs a little escapism sometimes,” Draper said, noting that romance books helped the publishing industry weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

One thing that has changed when it comes to romance, she said, is that people are “more open to talking about it and more open to admitting that they read it.”

It doesn’t hurt that the publishing industry also has focused in recent years on making the book covers themselves more visually appealing.

“There’s something compelling about making these books pretty and making them eye-catching for your shelves,” Draper said, praising the romance genre in particular for its “innovative take on what a book looks like.”

Beyond books, the extra space in the Cedar Rapids location also allows more room for gift items such as book lights, candles and other things not sold “in the big box stores,” Draper said.

It also means more room for events such as book signings and author visits. One of the first big events on the calendar is a “Girls Night Out” on Jan. 29 with romantic comedy author and standup comedian Kelsey Humphreys. The Oklahoma-based writer will tell jokes and sign books, and attendees will receive swag bags and door prizes.

“I think Kelsey in particular has a great way of identifying the things that make introverts and extroverts so different from each other and so complementary to each other,” Draper said, noting that Humphreys got her start by doing short, comedic TikTok videos during the pandemic.

Ticket sales for the event have been so robust that Draper might relocate it across the parking lot to the Kingston Steakhouse event venue.

“Being so close to that is going to be really helpful for us because we are able to open the store beforehand, open the store after the event, and still kind of capitalize on that shopping but also satisfy the need for space as well,” she said.

Big events are just the beginning for the revamped HEA, which stands for “Happily Ever After.” Draper said she’s also working on developing partnerships with other businesses and communities across Eastern Iowa.

“You’re going to start to see in 2026 some really awesome things that are coming down the pike just because we have this extra space and we have these partnerships that are ... morphing into something really cool,” she said.

Comments: melissa.ballardauen@thegazette.com