“Drink Coffee, Read Smut, Be Happy.” That’s the motto emblazoned on Nickie Lui’s t-shirt when I interviewed her, and it perfectly captures the spirit of Flame & Fable, her new romantasy bookstore in Lakewood, Ohio.

Just over a month and a half into her journey as a bookstore owner, Nickie is living the dream that so many book lovers secretly have. But unlike most of us who keep that dream tucked away alongside our fantasies of marrying fictional characters, Nickie actually made it happen.

Flame & Fable’s Origin Story

The seed was planted during a casual conversation with her dad, who was fixing a closet door at her brother’s house when Nickie nervously pitched her idea.

“So like, hear me out. What do you think if I opened a bookstore?” she asked.

Her dad’s response was simple but powerful: “That’s a fantastic idea. Write a business plan and let’s get started.”

Within a week, Nickie had created a 31-page business plan for her store. She worked with small business development centers, connected with SCORE mentors, and even sought advice from an established indie bookstore owner. Nine months later, Flame & Fable opened its doors on February 8th, 2024.

Finding a Home for the Romantasy Bookstore

The journey wasn’t without setbacks. Two potential locations fell through, leading to a disheartening period where Nickie took a few months off from pursuing her dream. But sometimes, timing is everything.

“I told my husband the next day I was gonna start looking for a space again,” Nickie recalls about returning from a family trip to Japan last October. “And that day I found this location and it was just start to finish—took like three days for me to sign the lease and get the keys.”

The 600-square-foot space checked all her boxes: open concept, great location just outside downtown Lakewood, with a craft store next door and coffee shops on every corner. It felt serendipitous—like it was meant to be.

The Banking Battle for Bookstores

Like many indie bookstore owners, Nickie hit a wall when seeking funding. Despite approaching national banks and even Huntington’s “Local Lift” program designed for community-benefiting small businesses, she faced rejection.

“They were like, ‘Oh, you’re asking for too little,'” she explains, noting that banks want to lend more to make more profit on interest. “Or it was, ‘This is not quite as lucrative as we feel, so we don’t know if we’re gonna fund for you.'”

Ultimately, Nickie personally funded the business—a testament to her commitment and belief in her vision.

Beyond Books

With thin profit margins on books (especially for indies), diversification is key. At Flame & Fable, non-book products make up about 30% of sales—everything from bookmarks and candles to Kindle cases and book sleeves, ranging from $3 to $45.

Nickie has formed relationships with about 12 local creators, mostly women-owned businesses, to stock unique items that appeal to her book-loving clientele. It’s a win-win that supports the local creative economy while boosting her bottom line.

The IKEA Nightmare

The week before opening brought a challenge that would test anyone’s resolve: the IKEA bookshelf nightmare.

After four canceled deliveries from IKEA’s one-star-rated Cleveland delivery service, Nickie and her husband took matters into their own hands. They rented a U-Haul, drove two hours to Pittsburgh, loaded “thousands of pounds of boxes” of Billy bookshelves themselves, and returned to Cleveland.

“My dad, his girlfriend, my husband, and I unloaded all the bookshelves into the store at 11:00 PM,” she recalls. “And then I had an army of people the following day come and help me build them.”

It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes reality that social media followers ate up, showing the gritty determination behind the dreamy facade of bookstore ownership.

Community in Lakewood, Ohio

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Nickie’s journey has been the immediate community embrace.

“The support from the community has been almost overwhelming,” she says. “I feel so loved and so appreciated just for opening a store here. There are people who wanna be my friend, and they come in here and they wanna know my opinions about books and they wanna hear about my life.”

When her birthday came around on March 19th, four or five people, many of whom she barely knew, brought her gifts. The store has become more than a retail space; it’s a gathering place for kindred spirits.

The Romantasy Connection

Flame & Fable’s specialty is romantasy—a blend of fantasy and romance that’s exploded in popularity thanks to series like Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) and Fourth Wing.

Nickie is in the perfect position to ride this wave, having read Maas’s Throne of Glass and ACOTAR “as they were being published, so it feels a little bit like I did it before it was cool,” she laughs.

This expertise allows her to connect with new converts to the genre. “It’s like a gateway, honestly, for people to break into the genres,” she explains.

Building Community Through Book Clubs

The store hosts four distinct book clubs, each with its own flavor:

• The Dragon Fruits Book Club (Flame & Fable’s official romantasy club)
• Feral Gremlins (a dark romance club)
• Spicy Grapes (where members “talk about smut and drink wine”)
• A therapy-driven book club that takes a mental health approach to discussing dark romance

These gatherings create repeat foot traffic and foster the sense of community that’s crucial for indie bookstore survival.

Exceeding Expectations

Despite keeping her expectations modest, Nickie has been blown away by Flame & Fable’s performance.

“The most surprising thing has been how well the business has done,” she admits. “I am outselling what my predictions were, and it’s been consistent for both the last two months.”

Customers rarely leave with just one book—instead, they grab multiple titles plus sideline items, driving those higher-than-expected sales figures. Her recommendation section is especially popular, proving that in a digital age, personal curation still holds tremendous value.

The Marketing Secret

Perhaps most impressive is that Nickie has achieved all this with zero paid marketing. No Facebook ads, no Instagram promotions—just authentic content sharing her journey.

“I posted a video on TikTok the day before TikTok went away,” she laughs, referring to the potential ban that was looming. “It was a video that was like, ‘Hey, I am Nickie and I really love books, and I’m opening a bookstore and like come along for the journey with me.'”

Showing the behind-the-scenes process—unboxing inventory, building shelves, arranging displays—created an invested audience who felt part of the store’s creation. Now, those fans are spreading the word organically.

Advice for Aspiring Bookstore Owners

For those harboring their own bookstore dreams, Nickie’s advice is simple but powerful:

“If I did it, then anyone can, because I did it slowly. I took my time.”

She acknowledges the setbacks and challenges but emphasizes that passion can overcome obstacles. “I feel like if you’re passionate about something, you can make it happen no matter the circumstances.”

The Future Looks Bright

As Flame & Fable moves past its newborn phase, Nickie is looking ahead to more events, author signings, and creative ways to bring people together around books. She’s also rediscovering her own reading time, having put it aside during the whirlwind of opening.

For now, though, she’s savoring the reality of her dream come true—600 square feet of book-filled joy that’s quickly becoming the literary heart of Lakewood.

If you’re in the Cleveland area, you can visit Flame & Fable at 13439 Detroit Ave. in Lakewood.