Further north, Miami Springs is also getting a new bookstore, and a local one at that. Steamy Lit, already a hit in Deerfield Beach and Tampa, announced this week that it will open a third store in the 305. The social media announcement lists a target date of Winter 2025, meaning the store will presumably open in December.
Miami Springs' forthcoming Steamy Lit differs from Kendall's new bookstores not only because it's a smaller operation, but also because it focuses exclusively on the romance genre. The brand's expanding footprint reflects romance and romantacy's ever-increasing popularity across the country.
Founded by Melissa Saavedra, a Latina business owner and U.S. Navy veteran, the brand launched as an online shop in 2021. Brick-and-mortar stores followed in Deerfield Beach and Tampa, with the announcement of the Miami shop signaling the continuation of a winning business strategy.
"My love for reading romance novels intensified during 2020," Saavedra writes on Steamy Lit's website. "As I continued to pick up title after title, I quickly noticed the lack of representation romance authors of color received in publishing. By having constant conversations in the book community, I knew it was common for women to feel uncomfortable discussing their sexuality or even speaking about steamy scenes in books...I want to empower discourse around sexuality and self-love while also providing a new way for authors to have their work showcased."
