Turning Up the Heat at Friends to Lovers Bookstore
What happens when a romance bookstore meets immersive seasonal rental decor? You get a space customers fall in love with every time they walk through the door.
Spruce Decor + Style (Spruce) partnered with Friends to Lovers Bookstore (F2L), the first romance bookstore in the DC metro area, to design Christmas and Valentine’s Day installations that stopped people in their tracks. From concept and custom curation to installation, takedown, and end of season storage, our team managed every detail, allowing theirs to stay focused on serving customers.
The Challenge
As a beloved Old Town Alexandria gem, Friends to Lovers wanted their space to embody their romantic, whimsical, community-driven brand and encourage customers to linger a little longer between the shelves.
Like many small businesses, their team was already stretched thin with daily operations and events but they wanted to elevate their in-store experience.
“Our biggest struggles were storage and consistency. Storing decor for every season becomes cumbersome extremely quickly, and we also had trouble ensuring everything stayed up and looked great throughout the season.” — Jamie, Founder
The Spruce Approach
After walking the space and learning how F2L decorated in the past, Spruce developed two themed rental decor installations designed to feel like stepping inside a romance novel.
Christmas 2025: Pretty in Pinkmas
Spruce traded traditional Christmas styling for feminine details that looked straight out of Barbie’s dream house. Between the pink and red accents and bows, we transformed the bookstore into an unmistakably on-brand seasonal environment.
“Retail is stressful enough. Take this task off your plate and it’ll look better than you’ve ever had it.”
Valentines Day 2026: Love Between the Pages
For Valentine’s, we infused the space with romance and charm. Hand-written candy hearts with bookish phrases, cascading roses hanging overhead, and statement bows created a romantic atmosphere perfect for instant connection.
“The customers are OBSESSED. It really feels like a whole new store when you walk in—people are excited to see what’s next."
Spruce handled design, sourcing, installation, takedown, and long-term storage, leaving the Friends to Lovers team to focus on serving their community.
The Impact
For the F2L team, the partnership brought fresh creativity and brand alignment each season.
“You can tell they truly understand our brand’s ethos and style, so every piece enhances the story we tell. Having something new each season keeps things fun for us and our customers.”
From customers pausing mid-conversation to admire the displays to snapping photos with friends to soak in the atmosphere, this romance bookstore shifted from everyday retail to an immersive seasonal experience customers returned to and shared widely online.
Each installation encouraged longer visits, deeper engagement, and organic social buzz that extended the bookstore’s presence well beyond its walls.
Ready to Turn Your Space into Something Customers Remember?
Explore how Spruce can bring seasonal storytelling to your business with curated, high-impact rental decor and installation solutions.