Romance books are no longer a little hobby that women enjoy in the corner, says Kerrie Berg, owner of Milwaukee’s Thirst Books. Bookstores dedicated to the genre have been popping up across the country since Los Angeles’ The Ripped Bodice opened in 2016.

Now, not one but two shops carrying tomes dedicated to amore have recently opened, only a few minutes’ drive from each other: Thirst (5209 W. North Ave.) and The Well Red Damsel (6429 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa).

“Women are buying,” Berg says. “They’re putting their dollars into it, and it’s powerful.”

Take the line down the street on Thirst Books’ opening day, for example. Or the successful pop-ups and events hosted by The Well Red Damsel before opening its brick-and-mortar to a similarly lengthy line in June. Romance is c

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