New bookstore in downtown Huntington Beach caters to fans of adult romance genre
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The logo — a capital “M” surrounded by a pair of brackets — is mysterious enough, but Mystic Box has been a well-known name in the adult romance book genre since launching in 2018.
Now it has a brick-and-mortar location for fans of the often-steamy novels to get their fix.
Mystic Box Bookshop opened in downtown Huntington Beach on June 14, with a ticketed book-signing event featuring authors Santana Knox and C.E. Ricci.
The line went around the corner, into the alley between Mystic Box and the International Surfing Museum, as Knox signed copies of “Heartless Heathens” and Ricci signed copies of “Iced Out.”
Sisters Sydney and Genevieve Engeran came from Long Beach for the grand opening.
“This is a very popular company already, so they’re already well established,” Genevieve Engeran said. “It’s going to be really nice to see the book community that is primarily online.”
Her sister nodded in agreement.
“A lot of us are homebodies, so we don’t get to go out that much and meet like-minded people,” Sydney Engeran said.
Mystic Box is owned by Kate Benito and her husband, Phil, who live in Seal Beach. They have been known for a bimonthly subscription service, where two hardcover books advertised as dark, mafia or forbidden are mailed out to subscribers. There’s a long waiting list for the service.
Kate Benito said the company outgrew its Los Alamitos warehouse and moved to Huntington Beach. Last year, an event at the Kimpton Shorebreak Huntington Beach Resort featuring seven authors signing sold out in a matter of minutes, she added.
“I figured the next step would be to have a brick-and-mortar presence for readers to come to,” Benito said. “People are so connected to their phones, and some people want to disconnect. It’s weird. Authors are seeing more sales on their paperbacks, because it allows people to have that down time without technology. The new breed of readers is looking for a more tangible format.”
The store’s next book-signing event is Aug. 2, and will feature Katelyn Taylor, an author from the Pacific Northwest.
Mystic Box Bookshop, located at 221 Main St., Huntington Beach, is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The store is closed on Mondays.
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