Popular LA Romance Bookstore The Ripped Bodice to Open in Park Slope

A bookstore focused exclusively on romance novels that has found success in Los Angeles will debut a Park Slope outpost next month at 218 5th Avenue.

Founded by “lifelong romance readers” sisters Leah and Bea Koch, The Ripped Bodice opened its doors in 2016, and claims to be the first bookstore in the U.S. focused solely on the romance genre.

“We developed a love for the genre very organically, very much facilitated by bookstores in Chicago where we grew up,” Leah said.

After finishing college and a master’s degree, the sisters decided to join forces and open a bookstore together in L.A., where Leah was living. They launched a Kickstarter to help fund the venture and received almost $92,000 in a large show of support. Leah said while people were largely encouraging and excited about the bookstore, some did question the sisters about whether they were pigeonholing themselves by stocking just one genre.

However, they stood strongly by their niche and have managed to prove skeptics wrong, recently celebrating the store’s seventh birthday. The Ripped Bodice has helped drive book sales and topped lists of independent bookstores to visit and support, including in The Los Angeles Times and on Book Riot.

“Because we’re a brick and mortar space we really want to focus on that in-person experience and make it really special in a lot of different ways, and make it somewhere that is worth it to come in person,” Leah said. That includes paying very close attention to design and decor and carefully curating the stock and events.

“Actually one of my favorite parts of the job is finding things that I would want to buy and stocking them in my bookstore,” Leah said. In addition to books, the store also sells greeting cards, candles, jewelry, enamel pins, stickers, journals, and socks — and typically sources them directly from the artists and makers.

In terms of events, she said the Culver City store hosts a number of author nights — “that’s our bread and butter” — holds a monthly free stand-up comedy night, and has five book clubs, all with different focuses depending on peoples’ interests. The Ripped Bodice also hosts writing workshops, which Leah said had resulted in some attendees completing their own romance novel.

The new Brooklyn venue will be much the same as the LA location in regards to stock and events, Leah said, although some of the latter will take some time to get off the ground.

While The Ripped Bodice has a strong focus on the in-person aspect of the business, Leah said the store also has a passionate online audience, and New York brings in the second highest number of orders after California. That fact, coupled with the sisters’ family being largely in Brooklyn, was behind the move to open the outpost in the area, she said.

The 5th Avenue storefront was previously an NYC Pet outpost, and has also housed a Chinese restaurant, old photos show.

Leah said the space needs quite a bit of work, but the sisters are willing to take that on so they can make the spot their own. They have been documenting the transformation on social media, including a detailed how-to for the magnificent pink stenciled floor.

Leah, who made the move to Brooklyn to get the store up and running, said The Ripped Bodice is on track for an opening day of August 5 and the sisters are hammering out the details for the opening party. It will include author signings and likely some giveaways and sweet treats, she added.

The Ripped Bodice is in good company in terms of independent bookstores in Brooklyn. In recent years, bookstore openings in the borough have included Lofty Pigeon Books in Kensington, Taylor & Co. in Ditmas Park, and Dear Friends Books in Bed Stuy.

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