In an era of book bans, Atlanta’s bookstores matter more than ever. A new wave of shops focuses on specific interests and identities, creating desirable third spaces and building community.

“The benefit of having a brick-and-mortar is that people have a place to go, and people have a place to hang out, and people have a place to connect,” says Kate McNeil, owner of Kirkwood’s romance bookstore All the Tropes , the first of its kind in the city. “I wanted to work and live in my neighborhood, and I just had this vision of the community it would create.” It opened in August 2024, following a nationwide rise in the romance genre, and McNeil employs people from her neighborhood for graphic design, painting, and other needs and has made it a cozy place to unwind.

It’s a sentiment reflected

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