How Blush Bookstore Built $780K in Sales and Took a $30K Loan Deal

Romance novels are all the rage. We all are hearing about heated rivalry and this bookshop is raking in the cash. This store when you opened in 2024, what was first year sales just here? 480. That sounds incredible. We're gonna meet the Founder Jaclyn, who's scaled to a incredible amount of revenue that frankly shocked me. How much revenue did that business do in its best year?

Probably 600 k.

That's insane. She's got a big idea to expand, but she needs some cash.

Moving into a bigger space so that we can host events more regularly. We're also looking into adding canned or bottled beverages and a lounge, which is the big thing.

Where's she gonna get it? She's got a clear plan and I can make a clear return. I'm gonna invest on the spot. I heard one thing that feels like a massive mistake to me.

How are you?

Good. How are you?

I'm Nathan. Jaclyn, nice to meet So nice to meet you. So tell me tell me more about what you're selling. Obviously, I see tons of books. I also see some cool trinkets and things. What's the business model?

Primarily romance books. That's kind of our thing. Dark romance, romance to see contemporary, and young adult, as well as some other subgenres as well. Big selection there, but outside of that, we are really focused on carrying gifts, small things that are themed towards readers, just about everything.

What gave you this idea? When did you launch?

This is actually our second location. Our first location opened in Kansas in 2023. At the time, I was already a full time entrepreneur and I had an online business that sold bookish merch. I started that in 2021.

Purely online?

Completely online. That business is called House of Jupiter. We started small. That business is still running. A lot of the books that we were making merch for were primarily romance anyway. So we kind of started at the the the like big, big time for BookTok. BookTok was such a huge thing through the pandemic and then a lot of people found their love for reading during that time.

Jaclyn, I don't know what BookTok is.

So it's a section of TikTok. It's where everyone goes to talk about books, basically. Okay. So if you... Heated Rivalry, for example, huge on BookTok.

And it's just selling like when you... I think... Imagine the audience watching when they think like book merchandise. Yeah.

I don't... Awesome over here.

Do you wanna go see it? Grab some? Yeah. Let's let's take a look together.

This is... It kind of just

looks like a a typical shirt,

but it's based, there's a fixable location here, that's mentioned and it's kind of if you know, you know, from an Emily Henry book.

I would have no idea.

Nope. But if someone had...

If you know, you know. So if someone who had read the book,

was wearing this, you'd probably get to walk up to him

and say, hey, love that book. So House of Jupiter, I mean, that's a great business. I mean, was it high margin? Was it just you?

Margins are a lot better than brick and mortar. I'll say that.

When did you say, you know what? I want to expand the business and open a physical bookstore.

That was in 2023. I think a lot of people coming out of the pandemic, like myself, really looking for spaces that we felt like we could come together and and talk about books. A lot of times for romance specifically, there's a lot of stigma.

It's not like it's just like naked people on book covers.

No. I think a lot of times people think back to what are referred to in the industry as bodice rivers. So you're thinking the Fabio covers and that type of romance. Some of that still exists, but there's been a lot that's changed.

These don't look like, you know, like, you just described as like Fabio covers. Walk us through what you're selling here.

Our store is kind of organized by subgenres. So over here, we're actually in the dark romance, if you will. So these have some darker themes. This is a really popular stalker romance, if you will.

Stalk like yours... Someone stalking somebody? Yep. Okay.

Yep. There is literally a type of romance for just about any anyone or anything. We're here in fantasy or the term you might hear a lot now is romantasy. So, have... Romantasy is one of those that goes big and viral. Some of those romance, those fantasy romance novels that have gone really big, they're getting adaptations now. They have huge fandoms. They've kind of gone outside of romance and hit that, like, pop culture level of of popularity. So...

Like, I mean, everyone watching on YouTube, I imagine you guys are thinking, of course, I know, you know, heated rivalry. That's what's top of mind for everyone right now. But if you're a real bookie, pick the one here that's the hottest thing.

So I think, obviously, there's kind of... Sarah J Maas is where a lot of people got into reading romantic y. A Court of Thorns and Roses. She... This isn't her first series. Throne of Glass is her first. I've read them all. As they come out, we get huge midnight release parties for them, sort of a gateway book, if you will. A lot of people find they like romanticy by picking

up this particular book. Walk us through the margins while you have the book. What

do Book guys retail margins are really set and they're they're historically, you know, not the greatest. We buy it from the publisher like this one in particular, have bought from the publisher. We get a 50% markup, and it retails for $19 If we're looking for indie authors or certain books, can order from a wholesaler, and that's typically at a 40% or 42% depending on... Typically newer books just have a slightly better discount.

This book specifically, you're retailing for $19, at a 50% margin, meaning you bought it for about $9.50. Correct. And how many do you have to purchase from the, from the publisher to get that discount? I can order one. Okay, that's amazing. Okay, great.

I typically don't want to order one of anything just for stock reasons, but sometimes that's nice when you have book series that go on and on and on. There's seven books in a series. Do I really want two of all of those? Not likely, but I will want a ton of the first book. Does that make sense?

I see. See. I see. What percent of your revenue comes from book sales versus everything else?

We're at about 60% is book sales. We'll never be able to make much headway in terms of profitability on books. It's pretty set. It is what it is. We can just sell more of them.

How many books are you selling per month right now?

Goodness. We have two stores, so sometimes they're convoluted, but I'd say we're closer to about 600 books a month.

Where's the second store located?

We're in Wichita, Kansas.

Oh, so you still have the Wichita one Mhmm. House of Jupiter, and then this was the second location? Yep. Do you remember what first year total revenue was at your, Wichita location?

Wichita one, it was a little under 200 k. We just wanted to be profitable. We wanna be able to pay for the books, buy more books, pay the employees, and we we were able to do that immediately. So that was pretty great.

That is great. Take us into year 02/2024. What did just that bookstore look like?

Right around that 200 k mark, just a little bit below. We're we're on par for every year to be about the same for that location.

So you think that market is saturated? You can't grow revenue there much more.

I think that size and scale of the city, that's about the best we could probably do in that. Yeah. Dallas is a bigger market, so we we can do a lot more here.

Why'd you decide to come to Dallas?

Being in a smaller city, it's kind of hard to get some of those bigger authors to come in. You're not gonna be on their tour schedules. We knew to really, like, see full potential. We needed to be in a bigger market.

This store, when you opened in 2024, was first year sales just here?

Four eighty, I believe.

That sounds incredible.

Yeah. We didn't even have to do PR. We got a lot of it happening naturally. People just being curious.

What was year two here?

For 2025, we did the about 400 and I know we're five eighty across both stores.

580,000.

25.

For 2025. Add House of Jupiter on that. How much was that?

House of Jupiter last year, I think we did about 220 k.

Fair to say the full business then does $5.80 plus $205.06, 780,000 a year? Yeah. In sales? Yeah. What do you think the whole business will do in 2026 altogether if you hit all your goals?

We're getting ready to... Actually, this is news, but we're getting ready to move into a bigger space this year for Blush. A new space requires a lot of attention in terms of build out marketing and that.

This is where you guys on YouTube can play along. You've heard her business model, very six over $700,000 of total sales in 2025. We now know in 2026, she's got ecommerce at House of Jupiter. She's got two locations, each doing very, very well. Can she break a million dollars in 2026? Leave a comment below here on YouTube. Let us know what you think. This is where authors, when they come in, if you host like a podcast, you do it?

This is actually more of, the boyfriend couch. So if if the significant others come in, they tend to sit here while they shop. We, we're actually in pretty tight space. So when we do author events in store, we have to move all the furniture, bring out chairs, and we tend to to kind of turn this middle space into like seating. We've got folding chairs and we've got, some barstools for authors. That's kind of been a pain

point for us. We definitely started small with the idea that hopefully we would expand. We're feeling the pain a lot sooner than I think we thought we would in terms of our size. I think that the book side is great but part of the reason people follow our brand is they, you know, they want to spend time in the store and they want to, you know, have experiences. So I think events have been a big part of that culture moment. And I think that's something that we want to expand on for sure.

So what do you need to make that happen? Is it a is it a cash question? Is it a focus question?

Our landlord, he reached out. He knew we were kind of chomping at the bit for a bigger space. And he has a... Another house similar to this that he hadn't split yet that he's renovating and wondered if we wanted the whole thing. So in that space, we'll obviously have more room, more bookcases. I think the next step for Blush might be to actually be a romance bookstore, but start to carry some other genres as well. We're also looking into adding

canned or bottled beverages as well. So... And a lounge, which is a big thing. So a place, like he said, a third space for people to come.

I heard one thing that feels like a massive mistake to me. You just sold me on on, like, romance. And I'm like, I wanna be in this world, but then you just told me, no. Now I wanna go more general. Well, I'm like, wait a second. I can get that at any bookstore. I can just go to Barnes and Noble for that.

Not necessarily. So here's the thing. When we started in 2023, romance bookstores were kind of a diamond in the rough. Since 2023, there are... Where we're sitting right now, there are almost 300 in The US alone. If you walked into a Target or a Walmart right now, they're carrying titles that I'm carrying, but they're offering them 30% off. We have books getting pushed out faster than they're ready. We have editing errors in books. There's starting to

be that fast fashion aspect happening in the romance industry, and readers are catching on to it. The niche romance bookstore isn't what it was three years ago. I'm gonna be trying so hard to keep up with the numbers I made at the peak. Does that make sense?

It does. You guys chime in on YouTube. Right? So what I'm hearing Jaclyn tell me effectively, she wants to go broaden but not dilute. And what I mean by that is she she wants to host, you know, spaces for physical event. But instead of having a coffee shop like a Starbucks and a Barnes and Noble, she wants to have maybe a a unique Dallas specific liquor canned or bottled retailer. Right? Yes. For sure. Bring the live events to life. So you guys comment below. You tell us if you think that that's something that will take off.

This is the year of the analog year. People are wanting to get off their phones. People are wanting to read. I'm focusing on that, and I'm making sure I'm meeting that need.

How how do you capture the community? How big is your Instagram account? How big is your email list?

Email list is, I think, about eight k. Okay. And then our following on Instagram, I believe, is at 26 k.

Are those your two biggest channels?

Instagram is definitely our biggest. TikTok, we can go viral and that's great, but it's sort of hit and miss. It's not what it used to be, which is when I remember starting out. But I think on the day to day, our Instagram is where our engagement is the highest.

So this new space is the major growth sort of opportunity. It looks like, you know, studs right now. Your vision though is to basically have both what you currently have, but also maybe somewhere to drink, some booze, some craft, you know, craft stuff that you put together plus more space to host events here versus the local theater. Is that right?

Correct. So right now, our cap at at events is about 30. We're trying to up that up that closer to that 50. And then just a space that doesn't need totally redone every time we wanna host an event. But also have a lounge that can be rented out for book clubs. But this space, you know, that... You know, a build out costs money. You know? There's added expense.

How much cash do you need?

I imagine it's gonna at least cost 30 k. The biggest cost is gonna be the build out, the cut... The bookshelves, the counters, the fridges for the drinks, you know, the lounge itself. So that's kind of like my biggest my biggest cost right now.

I'm curious ongoing what the growth could look like once you open if it sort of hits your vision. What were total profits last year?

We're about 15 to 20% profitable last year.

Okay. So on six, 700,000 top line took about 10, 15% to the bottom line. So that's something like seven. It's about a $100,000 of profit. Tell me how you've it. Have you saved it up and that's why you're comfortable signing a big new lease on a new location? You have a buffer?

Yes. The nice thing about that space is that, the rent is actually pretty reasonable considering what we're paying here.

What's rent here versus the new rent?

What about that 3 ks a month range there?

Okay.

And it's going to be about 5 ks over there.

Okay.

So... But we're also getting a lot more.

Let's talk about let's talk about how we could do a deal here. Right? I wanna get a sense of if you're more interested in selling equity or you're more interested in debt. So would you sell the whole business if I cut up $500,000 all cash check today? No. Okay. That was a quick answer.

I don't think it would be the $500,000 a month company if you took me out of the equation.

No one would buy this without you. They would lock you down for I 10

think they would have to.

So let's think more about a debt situation. So if I wrote a 30,000 check and we structured it as you pay back... Pay me back as a percent of revenue... Of of weekly revenue. So, hey, Jaclyn pays Nathan back x percent of weekly revenue until Nathan has paid back x amount. Would that kind of strategy work for you? Does it give you the flexibility you need to invest at the new location?

Yeah. We've done a few small versions of that. So I'm familiar with that model through Shopify. We've done

that with You've Shopify money? Yep. Do you know what interest rate you were paying Shopify?

I I I don't think it was particularly kind, but it was nice when we needed it. Right?

Yeah. You nailed it on the head. It's very... Just so you guys know, it's very fast money. It's very efficient. Jaclyn pushes a bunch. She gets the money. But I'm a nerd on this stuff. I study everyone else's public documents. They file 10 Qs and 10 Ks at Shopify. They have to reveal the average... The actual APR they charge founders. It's about a 40% interest rate. So it's expensive but it's convenient.

Right.

Which is why you do it.

Yep. I didn't know going in is how hard it is especially when you're new and you're starting out to get funding and, and like I said, I'm more of a bootstrap.

Now, I'm a smart businessman, I'm going say, well, she's already done, you know, deals and paid a 40% interest rate and she valued the convenience. I should just do the same deal. I make a lot of money on that. So $30,000 at a 40% interest rate.

No. I'll be paying this a little bit slower and I'd rather be a little more cautious with how much we take and why we take it. I'd rather take less at a higher rate than take the full amount that I need. Does that make sense?

Yeah. Well, give me a counter. So I'm totally open to giving you a longer payback period. That is one thing I can offer over Shopify money. They have a very quick payback. Yeah. I'm happy with a one, two, three year payback period. It's just I'll charge more the longer my money is outstanding. So counter, what interest rate would work for you and how much time do you need?

I think I'm a little more flexible on the interest rate and I would wanna know the time frame. Three years to me is better if your interest rate goes up a little bit, but it's not something that's so consequential in terms of, I don't know what interest rate are you looking at right now.

Well, I'm not going negotiate this myself. I I do 30 k at what you already did, which is really expensive money. I get that. But... So why don't you counter? If I give you a two year payback period, I wrote a $30,000 check today, what interest rate would work for you?

I think personally, just because I know I can go out and get the money, probably nothing more than 20%.

I don't think I can do.

I think I'd aim for between that ten and twenty percent. I know that's closer to actual bank rates and I could go out and go through all that, use that tape, but you're talking about you wanting to be efficient, you want to be flexible and give me the... So I understand that comes at a cost. I would like to discuss early payout options too as well. So if we are doing well, then pay it off sooner, get a a decrease, and I'd love to talk that as well.

It's not worth my time to paper and do a deal with you if you're gonna pay Too much.

Back No.

But you're gonna pay back in a month, but I'm happy to do something where if you're crushing it and you're a year in and you wanna pay me back early at... With no fees in month thirteen, I'd be open to that.

Okay.

Or something like that. If Jaclyn wasn't running her own bookstore, I'd hire her via my lead salesperson at Founderpath. That's exactly what it is. She... Anyone can go out. Well, not anyone. If you're generating good cash flow, you can go to a bank. Right. And get a pretty cheap loan. But to Jaclyn's point, that takes... I mean, how long does it take? Months.

Months and a lot of red tape and a lot of paperwork and time, which time is money for a small business owner. So...

Yep. Yep. Look. I'd be willing to do this. My offer will be a $30,000 check today, paid back over two years at a 16% interest rate.

I would do that.

You do the deal?

Mhmm. I would.

Let's get to work. That's awesome, Jaclyn. Thank you. You're a tough negotiator.

Not really.

I am. Give me 40 percent. That's what you pay Shopify. Come on. If you guys like that deal, remember, new episodes drop every Wednesday. Click here to subscribe so you don't miss out. Also, wanna see more deals like this one? Click here to see the next deal immediately.