Trope Bookshop, a romance-only bookstore in Charlotte, NC, started on four wheels. Owner Katie Mitchell bought a bus, renovated it and launched “the Green Girl” in October 2023. She wanted a storefront modeled on The Ripped Bodice, but rent was out of reach, and friends encouraged her to try mobile.
The bookstore found readers fast. In March 2025 it opened a permanent shop at 1516 Lyon Court in Plaza Midwood, just off Central Avenue. Inside, a dark, moody, English-pub look surrounds the shelves. There is an antique checkout counter, a window seat and a mural by Maddy Ebbert. The stock is all romance, with more than 900 titles across 16 sections: YA, local authors, romantasy, sports romance and banned books among them.
The community is a big part of it. Trope’s book club averaged about 120 people and passed 300 in January 2025. Mitchell hosts local authors in the shop and partners with other Charlotte businesses on signings. She says the club has helped adults make friends, and a few members have even become roommates.
The bus is still on the road for pop-ups, and the shop has been open Wednesday through Sunday.
For a romance reader in Charlotte, the shop is one stop where every shelf is yours.
1516 Lyon Ct, Charlotte, NC 28205
