But fear not, fans of modern romance: Doris, the 1955 Airstream from A Novel Affair, is here to inspire and please, providing patrons of seductive narrative with a place where they can find all the things they love, and love all the things they find. It's the brainchild of two teachers from south Denver: Britany Borel, a special education teacher at Wilder Elementary in Littleton, and Rachel Barbe, an English teacher at Chatfield High. Borel is a longtime entrepreneur who's an avid fan of the super-popular romantasy genre, while Barbe is a devoted literature booster who, among other things, delivered a TED talk on "How Book Clubs Can Save the World." The pair met while team-teaching some years ago at Ken Caryl Middle School, and have been friends ever since. And now: co-owners of a rather stylish small business.
Britany Borel (L) and Rachel Barbe (R) are the Denver educators behind A Novel Affair
A Novel Affair
But Doris is also available for special occasions, something that Borel and Barbe are both excited about. "We want to provide people with a really unique option for their celebrations," says Borel. "Like doing a non-traditional bridal shower, or hiring Doris to host your marriage proposal. Even at a wedding during the cocktail hour, we could be there to entertain guests. There are so many opportunities for things like that."
Barbe agrees. "We were just at Brunch Fest last weekend," she adds, "and we were getting all sorts of people asking about private events like birthday parties." The duo even promises to curate events like that, not only with romances, but with other genres that would be customer-specific.
Both Borel and Barbe have their focuses on stocking Doris with titles and merch. Borel is more about the romantasy (she's currently and heartily recommending When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker and Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry). For her part, Barbe promises she's "trying to sneak a little traditional literature in there," and says she's scouring the best-seller lists to find the great books that deserve attention — she mentions Clare Leslie Hall's Broken Country, a Reese's Book Club selection, as an example. And Doris boasts non-book items too, all things lit-lovers like: bookmarks, tote bags, even custom-made earrings by Borel herself.
Why an airstream? Frankly, just because it's awesome. "Everyone loves airstreams," laughs Borel. "They're classic, they're photogenic. It's curb appeal, right?" Borel found one up in Fort Collins for sale, and asked her husband — also a teacher, and pretty handy too — if he could retrofit it over the summer months. He said he could, and did just that. "The great thing about it was that it was already stripped out," says Borel. "They'd started renovating it and stopped midway through, which was perfect for what we wanted."
And why Doris? Turns out that wasn't a decision made by Borel and Barbe. The original owner, back in 1955, named it for his wife when he bought it. "When we bought Doris, we got this stack of paperwork that came with her," recalls Borel. "All the work and maintenance records over the years. The people I bought it from had already been calling her Doris, but they couldn't tell me why. After a bit of digging, I found out." Not only that, but Borel's grandmother was named Doris, so it felt meant to be. "And also, she looks like a Doris," Borel quips.
There's romance to that, in terms of the act, if not the name. "The connection was so sweet," Borel says. "I loved that. The idea of a mobile romance shop being in a trailer that a man named for his wife? It's just what we wanted."
"Romance speaks to what readers — mostly women — are hoping for," Barbe explains. "We realize it's idealized. We realize that people aren't really like this. But we also expect that there's going to be love at the end. It's what we hope for in life, just as humans. To be seen and to be loved. That's simplifying it a bit, granted, but at the same time, that's why the genre itself is having a moment."
The benefit of starting up A Novel Affair has also been a personal one for Barbe — and at the same time, one common to a lot of the patrons who discover it and love it. "Britany really saved me this summer," Barbe says, "by inviting me to do this. There's so much going on in the world, so much happening, I really needed something to say yes to. Something I wanted to do. It was refreshing and rejuvenating. It's amazing to be able to do something that we love."
But that's the draw of romance and romantasy. The escape from the norm, especially in times like ours, where the norm is fraught with chaos. "It's such a positive atmosphere," Borel agrees. "There's such a community connection whenever we set up shop wherever we are. We're finding our people."
You can find A Novel Affair — aka Doris — at Renegade Brewing, 925 West 9th Avenue, on September 6 (and most First Saturdays thereafter); the Lindsley Park Art Fest on September 13, and the Coventry Craft Fair in Littleton on September 27. For more information and future appearances, or to book an event of your own, see the shop's website.
