It’s fair to say that Jessica Dutchak did not see bookstore ownership in her future when she was training to become a social worker. Yet here she is, 14 years after starting her former career, an entrepreneur. Dutchak opened the romance-novel shop Pages of Passion at 614 Duchess Street. on Oct. 7 and that first weekend told her she was onto something. “It’s just been phenomenal,” she said in a recent interview. “Opening weekend blew me away. We were steady, solid, both days. “People were saying ‘thank you for opening a bookstore, (where I) can walk in and not feel like I’m being judged for looking for a book in the romance genre. “Part of what I wanted . . . was to create an environment where people felt safe, welcome, and obviously not judged.”

A few things came together to persuade Dutchak that this was the right thing for her at this time in her life. Her social work career was demanding, and dealing with childcare issues for her two small boys drove her to consider something different both for herself and her family. Her own passion for books also came into the equation. “I’m an avid reader — and specifically the romance genre I just really love and have for a few years now,” she said. “I guess I never thought opening a bookstore would be a thing,” she added. However, she began to see some trends emerging. “Romance books are huge on TikTok and Instagram right now. Influencers have huge followings and recommend books to their followers, and readers get heated up. “There are a select few romanceonly stores in North America; specifically in Canada I could count them on one hand. In the States, they’re popping up much quicker, I’m finding. “I wonder if that’s something I could do?” she asked herself. “The thought of leaving my well-paying job was terrifying.” But she forged ahead. She found someone to help her create a business plan and to do the research she needed to track down funding. “I found it hard in Saskatchewan, finding funding,” she said. “The first place I went to, they were awful. So it was trial and error. There weren’t any grants that I could find available to me.”

 Then she found Futurpreneur Canada, which partnered with the Business Development Bank of Canada, “and together they were able to give me $60,000. They were great to deal with. It felt efficient; I didn’t really have to wait that long, a few weeks maybe.” Of course, she also tested the market waters, and was a little surprised at what she found. “Being a reader myself, and my friends being readers, I knew it was a thing in Saskatoon. I just didn’t really know to what extent,” she said. It was, though, a bit daunting when she looked up market reports in Canada and discovered that bookstores “took a deep dive” during COVID lockdown. “But in the last two years trends have been increasing. People have more money to spend . . . and especially the romance genre has been blowing up over the last two years. It was still a “leap of faith,” despite “knowing I have what it takes to start a business, the dedication and determination kind of thing.” Romance readers still are viewed with a slanted eye, Dutchak said, although it is getting better. There remains a bit of a taboo around enjoying the steamier sub-genres. “One of the things I focus on is providing a service where if I can get people in the door, they’re immediately going to feel safe and welcome and want to return.”

She stocks “a little bit of something for everyone.” Sub-genres include contemporary, historical, dark, fantasy, young adult, and LGBTQIA2S+ . . . and there are a lot of requests for monster romance. “People are really loving those types of books these days, so I’ll bring it in. Absolutely.” Her 2,700-square-foot location sees a lot of foot traffic in the residential/ commercial area of City Park. There is plenty of parking outside and on side streets, she notes. Pages of Passion has a storefront and a back area with a “warehouse vibe,” where she plans to hold events. People can also shop online athttps://www.pagesofpassion.ca/. She has hired two part-time staff members, who she describes as “wonderful. They’re like me, both passionate about books and romance readers.”

As to competition, “I carry a lot of books you will not find in any of those stores. People really love that,” she said. “You’re not getting the personalized service at (a big bookstore). “I also have people who have said they’ve tried to order (elsewhere online) and they’re super delayed or come damaged. “One thing I focus on is carrying indie authors. That means they do the whole thing themselves from (writing) to print and distribution.” For now, Pages of Passion is open Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

-Joanne Paulson