Good Girls Bookshop: Kalispell's new community space for readers

One of the joys of reading is sharing stories with other people, according to the owners of Good Girls Bookshop in Kalispell. This notion inspired them to create the Flathead Valley’s first romance-only bookstore and community book club space.  

“There is so much fun stuff in books, we wanted to make sure people had access to it,” said shop owner Britney Wheeler. “The book world is amazing, and our goal was to become like a one stop shop, especially for local people, so you can buy all the things you see and love online.”  

Good Girls Bookshop opened Aug. 30 and is owned by Wheeler and Kelsey and Rachel Kimport. While the store is a retail shop, half of its space is reserved as a Book Club, which has couches, tea, coffee and more for booklovers to utilize when they host their own book club or just have a spare hour in the middle of the day.

The store, located at 230 E Idaho St. Suite B, boasts a carefully curated range of romance novels. From journals to pens to candles to matches, the store is also a great place to shop for gifts, cozy-related items and book lover tools, such as book lights and books marks.  

“There's so many different kinds of readers, so we have all of the stuff for your Kindle, to decorating with stickers to annotating supplies... we’re just trying to accommodate all the different types of readers,” Kelsey Kimport said.  

The three women, family friends who originally met while Wheeler was working at a salon when the Kimports were younger, had loved books for years before Good Girls Bookshop was even a thought.  

Rachel Kimport started to really get into reading during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, her sister Kelsey said, Rachel reads over 200 books a year. It’s a passion that has grown for all of them, and last summer they came across a romance only bookstore online and they immediately wondered if they could start one here.  

All it took was one text from Kelsey last July: “When can we start?” 

A year later, they leased out the current location and two months after that they opened for business. Last week, the shop hosted its first store book club, where women from across the valley showed up to discuss a romance book that community members read alongside each other.  

Romance remains, year after year, one of the most popular genres in the country. Within the romance genre there are a multitude of subgenres, such as fantasy, contemporary, historical, paranormal, science fiction and more. It’s a genre that truly has something for everybody, the owners say.  

One of the main wants for the space was to include the cozy, open area for groups or individuals to gather for free to read, talk about books and meet others. The goal with it, according to the owners, is to give the valley a space like a cafe, but less expensive and noisy.  

“We wanted a place where if you had an hour to kill and you wanted to come cozy up, pour yourself a cup of tea and read a book then you can do that. If our doors are open, the book club room is open to you,” Wheeler said. 

The goals for the space don’t stop there, Wheeler said. On Dec. 4, the Good Girls Bookshop will be open for a ladies shopping night with women-owned vendors in attendance. They hope to host book clubs across the valley and continue to host events that foster community and friendship. 

“It doesn't matter your political standing or your religion or anything, if we’re all going to connect over [a series] ... then all of the other things that make you different go away... it's really beautiful to see people bond and connect over the books that they love,” Wheeler said.  

The Good Girls Bookshop is located at 230 E Idaho St., Suite B.  It is  open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and select nights when events occur. Those interested in hosting an event in the Book Club can reach out to the shop in person, by Instagram direct message or through the shop’s website at goodgirlsbookshop.com.  

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459. 

  

    From left to right, Kelsey Kimport, Britney Wheeler and Rachel Kimport, are the owners of Good Girls Bookshop in Kalispell. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)
 Kate Heston   

    Good Girls Bookshop, a bookstore and community space, opened its doors in August 2024. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)
 Kate Heston   

  

    Good Girls Bookshop, a bookstore and community space, opened its doors in August in downtown Kalispell. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)
 Kate Heston   

    From journals to pens to candles to matches, the Good Girls Bookshop is a great place to shop for gifts. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)