Photo by Matlai Photography
Audio By Carbonatix
Meg Garcia-Jahrman’s parents passed away within one year of each other. Around that time, she also bought a house, had a baby and her husband broke his back. Life was overwhelming.
She found solace in reading romance novels in coffee shops, a way to escape her roles as caretaker or responsible grieving daughter, even if just for an afternoon.
“Coffee shops and romance books got me through,” she says. “A coffee shop is the one place I could go and not have responsibilities. It was a safe place for me. I didn’t have to be all the things that my house holds. I could just be myself.”
As for romance novels, “I love a happily ever after or happy for now,” she says. “It was beneficial to see that things could turn out good after hardship.”
She started wishing she could marry these two concepts together: A place to sit and read the romance novel, with a cup of coffee in hand.
Then it occurred to her. Instead of using her inheritance to invest in someone else’s business – her original plan – she decided it was time to invest in herself. The idea for Good Girl Cafe and Bookstore was born.
It’s the latest addition to Denver’s growing offering of romance-themed bookstores and for good reason. Romance is currently the fastest-growing category in the U.S. print book market, driving the industry and taking social media platforms like TikTok by storm.
“Romance is having a moment for a few reasons,” Ali Hoskins, co-owner of Fiction Beer Company and an organizer of its Smutty Book Club, told Westword earlier this year. “One: everything else sucks, but romance novels are cute, sweet and dirty, and they’re not awful like the news. Two: people are now allowing themselves to pleasure read.”
And soon people will be able to do just that at Good Girl Cafe and Bookstore. Opening in mid-July on South Broadway in Englewood, the bookstore and coffee shop will also sell gifts like stickers, pens, puzzles, book-themed tarot decks, coloring books, hats, tote bags and more. Garcia-Jahrman hopes to partner with friend and founder of Plotlines and Passports on book-themed events and ideas.
The food menu, curated from Spruce Confections, will feature pastries, turkey paninis, a chicken salad sandwich, croissants, breakfast burritos, tea breads and more. For drinks, expect traditional coffee shop beverages with some fun twists, like themed drinks around romance tropes: the good girl, the golden retriever, the black cat, the morally gray, and the slapshot – a nod to how hockey romances are part of today’s zeitgeist.
The space is colorful: a bright orange velvet couch, a yellow armchair, dark green walls, funky rugs, tons of plants and plenty of local art. Garcia-Jahrman intentionally wanted to go against the sleek, minimalist coffee shops populating everywhere and instead create something warm and inviting so guests will linger.
“I am not the shop owner who will require you to buy something to use the WiFi or tell you to leave after you’ve hit a two-hour time limit,” she says. “Come work, read your book, bring a craft. My favorite coffee shops were ones where I could sit for five hours and not feel rushed out the door, like I’m a burden.”
As for her parents, Garcia-Jahrman believes they would be proud of her. “My dad loved small businesses. My mom would be happy to have a space to read that wasn’t her bed.”
Garcia-Jahrman – who describes herself as neurodivergent, chronically ill, and queer – feels compelled to set an example to her community by being transparent about who she is. “There’s a lot of discourse about how hard it is to be in this community. It is hard, but that doesn’t mean we can’t achieve the goals that feed our soul,” she says. “Some days I am not going to be super upbeat because I am having a flare-up or I run out of meds. It’s important for me to share that side of myself because it impacts my everyday life.”
Garcia-Jahrman says she is most excited for the sense of community she hopes the store will bring through book clubs, creative writing workshops, and even non-traditional bachelorette parties for brides who are not craving a night on the town. The bookstore and cafe will also be open until 8 p.m. on weekends to accommodate date nights.
“There’s a place for bookstores in our current world,” she says. “I know buying every book from a bookstore is not financially possible for many people. But we are seeing a resurgence in bookstores because with technology rapidly developing, people want paper in their hands; they want to connect with something.”
She also wants people to feel empowered and accepted the minute they walk into her shop.
“There is no shame in liking romance, love, wanting a happily ever after,” Garcia-Jahrman says. “There’s such a stigma around romance novels, even though it’s the best-selling genre. Come celebrate love, unashamed.”
Good Girl Cafe and Bookstore is located at 2807 S. Broadway in Englewood. It’s expected to open July 11 and will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. It will be closed Mondays.
