After losing both of her parents in consecutive years, Meg Garcia-Jahrman found solace in romance novels and coffee shops.
She read more than 400 books as she navigated her grief, often spending hours tucked away in local cafes where she could escape into stories of hope, resilience and happily-ever-afters.
Now, the 29-year-old Morrison native is preparing to open along South Broadway in Englewood, a romance-only bookstore and coffee shop inspired by the two things she credits with helping her survive some of the most difficult years of her life.
Expected to open this summer at 2807 S. Broadway, Good Girl joins a growing wave of romance-focused businesses emerging amid the genre’s surging popularity, creating what Garcia-Jahrman hopes will become a gathering place for readers and anyone seeking community.
But for her, the project is also deeply personal.
Sitting outside on the patio of Corvus Coffee Roasters along South Broadway, with clear frame glasses and a baseball cap, Garcia-Jahrman warmly recalled her mother, Lynette, whose passion for reading, especially romance novels, brought her great joy, and her father, Stephen, whose dedication to supporting small businesses and local entrepreneurs left a lasting impact on those around him.
Both parents died unexpectedly from heart-related conditions, almost exactly one year apart in September 2024 and 2025.
The time that followed were marked by grief and upheaval for Garcia-Jahrman. Along with losing her parents, she became a mother herself and found her life rapidly changing.
She coped by immersing herself in hundreds of romance novels and spending long stretches in coffee shops, places where she said she didn’t have to be “the grieving daughter.”
“With the passing of my parents, I was able to inherit some money, and thatap really kind of what was able to take Good Girl from a dream into a reality. My husband was like, ‘Why don’t you do what you really want to do?’ which has always been to open a coffee shop,” she said.
With the support of her husband, the possibility of opening her own business suddenly felt attainable and something she could give back to her parents.
Since the beginning of April, Garcia-Jahrman has documented nearly every step of the process on social media, sharing construction updates, branding decisions, hiring announcements and personal reflections with followers and friends.
Inside, Garcia-Jahrman said Good Girl will take shape as a colorful, maximalist bookstore and cafe with dark green walls, vintage furniture and shelves dedicated entirely to romance.
The store will stock everything from contemporary romance to such as “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by author Sarah J. Maas, from wholesale platforms like and Ingram. In addition, a section highlighting disability representation is among the features she is most excited about.
The cafe part of the property will feature specialty beverages and serve coffee from Subjective Coffee, a Westminster-based coffee shop that to several roasters across Colorado’s Front Range. Garcia-Jahrman said she first discovered the business as a customer and was drawn to its mission.
With her husband assisting in behind-the-scenes operations, Garcia-Jahrman said she has since hired an assistant manager and about five baristas for Good Girl and plans to hold a grand opening in July.
As construction continues on Good Girl, a project expected to cost between $150,000 and $200,000, depending largely on construction expenses, Garcia-Jahrman sees pieces of both parents throughout the space.
Her mother’s love of books is reflected in shelves devoted entirely to romance novels, while her father’s commitment to supporting local businesses inspired the cafe and its strong sense of community.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without them. I would not have been able to do this without them, and all the support that they’ve given me up until they passed away,” she said.
“It just felt right to honor them in this way, doing something that they would be really proud of, and that my mom would love to frequent and my dad would love to support.”
Good Girl arrives as romance continues to dominate the publishing industry.
The name itself is rooted in romance culture, Garcia-Jahrman said. “Good Girl” references a well-known romance trope familiar to many readers of the genre, while also lending itself to the branding, merchandise and playful identity she envisioned for the business.
The genre annually and has experienced a recent boom, particularly in romantasy, a blend of romance and fantasy. TikTok’s “#BookTok” community has titles onto bestseller lists and cultivate devoted online fan communities. Adaptations and romance-centered series such as and Off Campus have also helped introduce new audiences to the genre.
That growth in popularity has also impacted Colorado’s bookselling landscape. Denver welcomed its first brick-and-mortar romance bookstore, the Spicy Librarian, early last year. At the time, the store’s owner told The Post that demand was so strong that customers routinely traveled hours to visit the shop. Other notable romance-focused businesses include Sugar and Spice Books in Boulder, Cherry On Top Bookshop in Fort Collins and the mobile .
Garcia-Jahrman said she hopes to meet that demand closer to home, particularly for customers south of Denver.
“Romance, I just love it, and I think that it is such an underestimated genre,” she said. “Whatever trials and tribulations are going on, you know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
It’s a message that resonated deeply after the deaths of her parents, and one she hopes others will find inside Good Girl.
“I’m hoping to build more of a third space. I want people to be able to come and hang out and read their book or bring their craft — if they want to sit and crochet or cross-stitch — and sit for a while and not feel rushed,” she said.
“I just want people to feel at home, and like they’re able to be who they are.”
