Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurelin Paige.
Hi Laurelin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been publishing romance novels since 2013, and over the years I’ve been incredibly fortunate to build a career I never could have imagined. My books have become New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers, and they’ve been translated around the world. I’m still writing today, but after more than a decade in publishing, I started feeling ready for a new challenge that complemented my writing career rather than replaced it.
Around the same time, my family was entering a new season. My middle daughter has sensory processing disorder, and we’d always known that finding the right career path would look different for her. Traditional college and many conventional workplaces weren’t the right fit. As part of her online high school program, she created a business plan for a fantasy bookstore, and watching her build that project planted a seed for both of us.
I was also seeing changes in the publishing industry. Independent publishing had evolved, readers were embracing beautiful print editions again after the pandemic, and I found myself thinking more and more about the importance of community. Books have always brought people together, but I wanted to create a physical space where readers could gather, make friends, meet authors, and celebrate the stories they love.
The final piece fell into place when a close friend opened an independent romance bookstore in Kansas City. Seeing what she’d built made me realize that, because of my background as an author, I had relationships within the publishing world and an understanding of romance readers that could help me create something special. It also gave my daughter an opportunity to build a career in an environment that works for her.
The idea for Flutter came together in the fall of 2024, and once we committed, everything moved quickly. We secured funding, announced the bookstore in November, held a soft opening on February 1, 2025, and officially celebrated our grand opening over Valentine’s Day weekend.
Flutter has become much more than a bookstore. It’s a community hub for romance readers—a place where people discover new favorite authors, attend events, and find others who love the same stories they do. As an author, I’ve spent years creating fictional worlds where people feel seen and understood. Opening Flutter has allowed me to help create that same feeling in the real world.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a difficult road in the sense that everything went wrong. In many ways, we were fortunate. We secured funding fairly quickly, found a great location, and had incredible support from the romance community.
The biggest challenge was simply that everything took longer and required more of me than I expected. Everyone warned me that opening a bookstore would consume my life, and I nodded along thinking I understood. I didn’t. There are thousands of decisions involved—from finding an affordable location in Austin to renovating an older building, hiring the right team, establishing systems, and figuring out exactly what kind of bookstore we wanted Flutter to be.
Finding the space was probably our biggest hurdle. Commercial real estate in Austin is expensive, so instead of building something new, we chose an older location that fit our budget and transformed it ourselves. There was plenty of painting, construction, and the occasional surprise repair along the way, but in hindsight those challenges gave the store its personality.
The other lesson has been learning just how much of a labor of love independent bookstores are. The margins are incredibly slim, so every event, every customer, and every weekend matters. That’s why community isn’t just something we talk about at Flutter—it’s what keeps independent bookstores alive. Seeing readers choose to shop local, attend events, and introduce their friends to the store reminds me why we built it in the first place.
Looking back, I think the biggest struggle wasn’t overcoming one dramatic obstacle. It was learning to balance being an entrepreneur, an author, and a person. Building something meaningful takes time, energy, and patience, and that’s probably the lesson I’ve carried with me the most.
As you know, we’re big fans of Flutter Romance Bookstore LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Flutter Romance Bookstore was built to be more than a place to buy books—it was created to be a home for romance readers.
Romance is the bestselling genre in publishing, yet for years many readers felt like they had to apologize for what they loved to read. We wanted to create a space where readers could walk in and feel completely at home, whether they’re longtime romance fans or picking up their very first romance novel.
What sets Flutter apart is that we were founded by someone who has experienced the industry from the inside. As a bestselling romance author, I understand both the publishing side and the reader side. That perspective allows us to support traditionally published and independently published authors alike, bring in unique events, and introduce readers to books they might never have discovered otherwise.
Community has always been the heart of what we do. We host author events, book clubs, writing workshops, themed celebrations, and opportunities for readers to meet people who share their interests. Some of my favorite moments aren’t the big events—they’re watching strangers strike up conversations over a favorite book and leave as friends.
I’m especially proud that Flutter has become a place where everyone is welcome. Whether someone visits every week or walks in because they’re curious about the genre, we want them to feel seen, respected, and excited to come back. If readers know one thing about Flutter, I hope it’s that we’re not just selling books—we’re building a community around the joy of reading.
Any big plans?
One of the best pieces of advice I received while opening Flutter came from the company that custom-built our bookshelves. They told me, “If your bookstore looks the same five years from now as it did on opening day, you’re doing it wrong.” That has really stayed with me because bookstores should be living, evolving spaces. The books change, readers change, publishing changes, and the store should reflect that.
That’s really how I think about Flutter’s future. Rather than chasing one specific end goal, I want us to keep learning, adapting, and finding new ways to serve our community. Every season brings new books, new authors, and new readers, so we’re always rethinking our displays, our events, and the experiences we offer.
We do have some exciting plans. We’re continuing to expand our author programming, both in-store and at larger off-site venues, so we can welcome even more readers to meet the writers they love. We’re also growing our presence as an official bookseller for conferences and literary events, which has been an incredibly rewarding way to connect with the romance community.
This year we’re launching a weekend pop-up bookstore and coffee shop, continuing to grow our community markets, and expanding our book clubs, writers’ groups, and silent reading events. Those gatherings have become some of my favorite parts of owning the store because they bring together people who may have never met otherwise.
Ultimately, success for Flutter isn’t just about opening another location or selling more books. It’s about continuing to create a place where people feel welcome, discover stories they love, and build genuine connections with one another. If we can keep doing that—and keep evolving along the way—I think the future is very bright.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.flutterbookstore.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/flutterromancebookstore
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Flutter-Romance-Bookstore-61576678007920/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flutterromancebookstore
