Come With Us to Open Ember & Ink: Our Love Letter to Romance Readers

The last few months have been an exciting whirlwind of designing, book ordering, and, of course, dust. Kristine and I, with our families in tow, began work on the bookshop on February 14th, fittingly starting our romance journey on the most romantic day of the year. The floors were sticky, the walls were bare, and there were mystery piles of trash scattered throughout the shop, but we had a vision.

Over the next few months, we carried paint and dust home with us, working hard to turn that vision into something we could share with our friends, family, and the community. We taped, painted, swept, painted again, and learned that there are truly a million shades of pink (not an exaggeration). The finish line often felt far away, until the day we installed our cash wrap. That moment felt like turning a very special corner, and we celebrated by propping our camera on a stack of empty furniture boxes to capture it.

Now, as we head into the final weeks before our soft opening, we’ve entered the fun part; curating amazing titles, selecting bookish merch, and adding thoughtful touches of romance throughout the shop. We can’t wait to open our doors next month and hope you’ll join us as we bring love, stories, and a little bit of magic to the South Bay.