Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ren Rice. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ren, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

As an only child growing up, I was surrounded by media. Books and film were my entertainment, and I knew at a very young age I wanted to get involved with both. I was lucky to have been able to pursue the film aspect of it in my early 30s getting to work on indie films as a costumer/wardrobe stylist in CA but I had always wanted to open my own bookstore. Ever since I was little, I wanted to own a bookstore/cafe but tucked it away as a retirement goal once I got old enough to think dream jobs weren’t a thing (I mean, you had to do the job you had to get the money to survive).

In 2020 during the lockdown, I got heavily into reaching fan fiction, this was the avenue that I walked down to read different forms of romance. I got to explore contemporary, paranormal, dark, holiday, fluff, angst all with the same theme: love. From there, I was able to take the aspects I enjoyed from fan fiction to physical books. It was a spiral ever since.

When I was talking to my therapist about how I had always wanted a bookstore, I remember her telling me that goals like the one I had would always remain goals unless I actually just went for it. There would always be “later” or never the right time…

So, I took that to heart and looked into starting the business. I originally started out as a member of the Greater Vancouver Chambers Business Pod and I learned a lot about how to run a business. I got the help I needed from the folks who run that program and it really did help me. Once I had all the necessary things, I had decided that, with my full-time job, being a pop-up was the most feasible way to go. I didn’t have to commit to much and I could still work my job while doing that for fun. I did the pop-up gig in Vancouver for the summer and in July I heard about this cool space called the Lincoln Warehouse Project.

I was able to connect with one of the owners of the space who graciously allowed me to rent a space to open a physical location. I opened my doors on 10/28/2023 and it’s been an amazing experience ever since.

The Romance Era is meant to feel like you’re at your best friend’s house. The vibes are cozy, there is natural light over artificial throughout the day and when it gets dark it’s all about Edison Bulbs. There is a tv that plays my favorite films (to keep my connection to film alive and well), a tea bar for folks to partake in, snacks to munch on and more. I also have local vendors in the shop that pay a shelving fee, but they get 100% of the proceeds of everything they make. The idea is to uplift local artists to help get their small businesses off the ground.

I also host events with the warehouse so that we can uplift local authors too!

It’s only been a few weeks since I opened but I already love the space I’ve curated and the people I’ve met and I cant wait to see what else this space can do!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am originally from the Bay Area and migrated up to Sacramento for work. I have been working in the apparel industry for almost 10 years as that is my background. I currently work in apparel full time while doing the bookstore on the side. I studied apparel after getting into cosplay and teaching myself how to sew. I wanted to get into more sewing and learn more professionally what I was doing with the fabric I was manipulating.

Ultimately, I ended my college career loving fashion, so I chose to make that my career path. I have previously worked for Levi’s, The North Face and Gap Inc. before moving here to work for a smaller clothing brand that allows me to help build from the ground up.

Books were originally a hobby that I had always wanted to do as a retirement gig but here I am doing it now in my mid-30s.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I utilize Instagram a lot. I am someone who loves to be as personal as possible and not feel super business-y all the time. I keep my DMs open, and I love when people message me to chat about books, media etc. I don’t always want to seem like I am selling something. I keep it as friendly and as personable as possible, and I think that helps when people come in. It feels like we’re already friends.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

As someone who hates asking for help it was advised that I start a GoFundMe. There is an amazing bookstore in Los Angeles (and now New York) called The Ripped Bodice and they had, as I was told, got their funding with crowdfunding and it seemed smart to also give it a go. I didn’t expect to get as much as I did but I got enough to get started initially. I currently have a part two of the same GoFundMe up to help expand a little bit as within my almost month of being open I already have a need for a tiny expansion within the space.

Contact Info:

• Website: www,theromanceerabooks.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/theromanceerabookshop

Image Credits
Personal photo by Solanah H.