'We do want the happy ending': Thirst Books is Milwaukee's first romance-only bookstore

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Picking the perfect book for the perfect moment is a skill that Kerrie Berg has perfected.

"I'm just a romance reader. That's really who I am," Berg said.

As a matchmaker for romance reads, Berg has turned her love into a livelihood, opening Thirst Books in Milwaukee, a romance-exclusive bookstore.

"Let me be your guide. I love to help, I love to point you in the direction, and I would probably ask you a few couple questions just to feel you out, what are you looking for," Berg said. "I call myself a smut sommelier."

Opening a store like this was always a dream, and when Berg found the perfect space on North Avenue, she decided it was time for the next chapter of her journey.

"The confidence to become a niche bookstore, and a romance niche bookstore, really came from a few other stores," Berg explained. "Like the one in New York, The Ripped Bodice, which was the first to open up and show that this was a viable and wanted thing."

Dozens of romance-focused bookstores are popping up across the country, and Berg has seen a shift towards open conversation about the genre.

"I know that my mother's generation were reading them, and they were staying - you weren't seeing them out. They weren't putting them on the bookshelves," she said.

Now, we have a new generation not judging a book by its cover, unashamed to feel out loud.

"It's all about the tension, right. So, you want to see the tension between main characters," Berg explained.

Great books build anticipation throughout, and she loves that romantic anticipation is often positive and electric.

"We want to see our characters happy, and we want these character arcs to happen in these large, beautiful ways, but we do want the happy ending," Berg said.

While all romantic, her store's selection of books is broad, and inclusivity is her core value.

"Romance is for everyone. That is very integral to Thirst, and we've hopefully curated these shelves for someone to find something they're interested in and find something they can identify with," Berg said.

Thirst opened in May as Milwaukee's first romance-only bookstore.

"We opened on a Saturday to a line, and it turned out to be about four blocks long. It was amazing," Berg said. "People came from Chicago, they came from Madison, they came from Green Bay."

It’s a void that clearly needed to be filled.

"I love shopping local. I would have had to go all the way to Chicago to find a store like this," said customer Peyton Adams.

Pale pink walls, colorful covers, and cozy chairs invite book browsers to make themselves comfortable.

Berg wants Thirst to be a North Avenue staple, helping make the area a destination.

"I'm hoping that I start here, that I'm the beginning of the romance district," she explained.

An after-date activity, maybe after a stop at Ruby’s Bagels or Vennture Brewing Company.

"I was thinking books, bagels, beer, that we start a romance district just with those beautiful things," she said.

The story of a Milwaukee romance district is still being written, but so far, for Berg and her customers, it's been a real page-turner, and they anticipate a happy ending.