Newcastle's first romance-only bookshop, The Sinful Spine, opened on Saturday with huge queues stretching along Heaton Road. Owner Bella Welsh, 33, launched the store after discovering a huge appetite for romance novels through a book club she started around a year ago.
The dog-friendly shop is on Heaton Road in Heaton, and Bella hopes it will become a community hub for like-minded readers.
Independent authors and events
Bella will stock books by independent authors that cannot be purchased at larger retailers. She will also run monthly book clubs and regular events, including author signings, paint and sip sessions and bedazzling books.
A gothic space designed to feel like a book
Bella, who lives in the Gosforth area, spent months transforming the premises. Inside, murals and shelves of independent books sit alongside cosy reading nooks and a bar serving both cocktails and coffee.
Describing the interior, Bella said: "Inside, it's very gothic. I want to embody being in a book. One of the mural walls I have had done is dark romance and one is for fantasy. We want people to feel like they're stepping into a book."
Finding her people
Bella, who runs her own marketing company, said her younger sister got her back into reading three years ago. She set up a book club so she could talk to others about what she was reading.
"I realised there's so many people out there who want to talk about books. I still can't believe that so many want to just talk about romance books. I feel like I have found my people!" she said.
"I wasn't out to open a book store, I wanted to help these independent authors. A lot of us feel that, through their stories, they have helped us. My little sister is the heart and soul and the reason I started the book store. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."
