A new shop in Lakewood is focused on a growing and popular book genre that is beginning to dominate bestseller lists across the globe: Romantasy, a genre blending fantasy and romance.
Nickie Lui opened Flame & Fable – which she believes is the only romantasy-focused book store in Ohio – in February, and quickly gained a loyal following online from Lui’s fun, quirky social media videos and posts.
With Flame & Fable, Lui’s goal was to create a space where women could come and talk about the books they read without feeling embarrassed. “I just really wanted to create a space where women and people who love romance and fantasy feel comfortable talking about their books,” said Lui.
At Flame & Fable, located at 13439 Detroit Avenue, customers can find a colorful plethora of books in the romantasy genre, as well as straight-ahead fantasy and romance books.
A resident of Willoughby, Lui says she chose to open her store in Lakewood for the diverse and welcoming community. “I just love the vibe out here. Everybody is so nice. And there’s a big queer community out here, which I really love to work with,” she said.
Lui loves to make recommendations for customers. “I have a lot of people who come in here and say, ‘I read these, and I read this, and what do you recommend next?’ There’s a book for just about everybody, in my opinion.”
Many of Flame & Fable’s regular customers tend to be 30-something, millennials, primarily women, or LGBTQ people that either enjoy reading romance and fantasy, or are just starting out, said Lui. She says the store is about providing a welcoming space for book lovers to gather and share interests and ideas.
“People come from all over the place to come and visit. So I like to make a point to have as many different selections on the shelves as I can,” said Lui.
Lui says she grew up reading fantasy books like the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series, and now, as an adult, she likes romance novels – which makes romantasy books a perfect combination of the two.
The Rise of Romantasy
In recent years, romantasy books have skyrocketed in popularity, partially due to the rise of BookTok – a community within TikTok where users recommend books, particularly in the genres of young adult fiction, fantasy and romance.
In October 2024, Publishers Weekly reported that seven out of the top 10 selling books of the year were romance and romantasy books, and that five romantasy books were in the top 10 overall adult bestseller lists.
“We’re kind of taking it back, out of it being stigmatized and just telling the world: hey, romance authors exist,” said Lui. “Romance readers exist. There’s nothing wrong with us. We just really like reading these books.”
Flame & Fable features many books by local authors, such as Westlake-based author Ciara Hartford, and holds many “meet the author” and book signing events.
“She’s definitely created a super welcoming environment,” said Hartford. “For someone who loves fantasy and romance, when you walk in there, it’s just like, oh, this is my place, my new home.”
The welcoming environment that Lui has created keeps customers like Leah MacDonald coming back for the books and the community the store has created.
“If I went to any other bookstore, they usually have fiction or horror or nonfiction, and then they have like 10 books that are considered romance,” said MacDonald. “And it’s just …it’s not a great selection to always go there for.”
MacDonald participates in a book club called Feral Gremlins, which meets every other week at Flame & Fable. “It’s just basically like a big group of friends that we all just get together, we have snacks, and we talk about a book,” said MacDonald.
A Welcoming Neighborhood
Flame & Fable has quickly become part of Lakewood’s vibrant small business community.
She says although Lakewood is a big city, it feels like a small community. “It feels like a family,” she says. “It’s really cliche to say, but I feel like I was just accepted into this community immediately, without question. Everybody was like, ‘We’re so glad you’re here.’”
Breaking Down Stigma
In recent years, the romance genre has come a long way from mass-market paperback books with covers featuring windswept, long-haired, scantily clad women desperately grasping toward muscled men with ripped shirts, in front of a castle with a mountain in the background.
“I do think there is a little bit of that stigma, especially with romance. People were maybe a little ashamed of what they were reading and covering it,” said Hartford. “Flame & Fable takes that away and it’s like, no, no, come in. This is our place. You don’t have to hide your book cover. Please show us your book cover.”
For more information on Flame & Fable, visit the bookstore’s website or Instagram.
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