Cypress gets romance-focused bookstore with lounge, wine and book clubs

X&O Books is betting that Cypress has room for a romance-only bookstore with a lounge, wine and dirty sodas, and it is placing that bet at 25712 Hwy. 290, Ste. I, just off Spring Cypress Road. The shop is expected to open in July as Northwest Houston’s first romance-exclusive independent bookstore and drink parlor, a narrow retail concept aimed at turning a specialized audience into a regular gathering place.

Owner Kara French says on the store’s website that the business is being built by women, for women. Her plan is not limited to stocking bookshelves. X&O Books says it will carry romance subgenres including contemporary, Western and romantasy, along with mainstream titles and work from local and Texas-based indie authors, giving the store a community role beyond traditional retail. French has said she wanted to create an elevated space for women in the community, filling what she sees as a gap for book shoppers who want a place to sit, chat and spend time with like-minded readers.

The business is also leaning into repeat visits. Its site lists a monthly book box subscription for $35, and its calendar says the store will host weekly book clubs, author events, midnight release parties and pop-ups. A separate book-club partnerships page says groups can rent the space after business hours and receive 15% off pre-purchased book-club books. The authors page invites writers to submit their work, while the tickets page points to author signings, After Dark nights, book clubs and pop-ups. X&O Books also says it is planning a podcast focused on romance book talk, author interviews and bookstore life.

The pitch comes as independent bookstores continue to grow their footprint nationally. The American Booksellers Association says independent bookstore membership grew 19% in its 2025 annual report, and more than 200 independent bookstores opened for the fifth consecutive year in 2025. Romance has been a notable specialty category in that expansion, with the association promoting Bookstore Romance Day on the third Saturday in August and marking Aug. 17 as the sixth annual event in 2026. In Cypress, the retail bet rests on a simple calculation: Harris County’s population estimate reached 5,045,026 on July 1, 2025, and Cypress remains an unincorporated part of that fast-growing market, where local retail increasingly has to offer something specific enough to pull people out of their homes and into a store.