Inside Between the Sips, shelves of romance novels line clean, gray walls accented with deep green. Delicate white lace curtains filter in soft light, creating a space that feels equal parts cozy reading nook and elegant escape.
For owner Sheena LeBaiti, the new Monument bookstore and tearoom is the realization of a longtime dream, and a love story of its own.
“I’ve always wanted to open a bookstore,” LeBaiti says. “I have been an avid romance reader since I was 15.”
She grew up reading Harlequin romances, particularly the Westerns her mother allowed her to read. The genre also connects her to an earlier generation: LeBaiti remembers her great-grandmother staying up late with her own collection of Harlequins.
“Romance books are not just something for the younger crowd or millennials,” she says. “I just feel like these types of books bring the community together at all appropriate ages. It gives them something to talk about.”
Love and a Dream
The idea for Between the Sips took shape over afternoon tea with LeBaiti’s daughter, Shana. While celebrating Shana’s birthday at a British tearoom, LeBaiti wondered aloud what it would look like to combine two things they loved: books and tea.
“If we did a romance bookstore but also had a tea room, we could do book-themed tea parties,” she recalls. “There’s so much creativity in a tea room. It’s so beautiful, and you can have so much fun with it.”
The pair spent the rest of the afternoon trading ideas for menus, themes and names. Eventually, the punny but fitting name Between the Sips emerged.
The bookstore’s shelves feature contemporary, fantasy, dark, sports, LGBTQIA and mafia romances, along with books by independent and Colorado authors. LeBaiti plans to adjust the selection as she learns what local readers want.
There is, she insists, something for everyone, whether a reader wants a slow burn, a shapeshifter or “a cowboy to take you away.”
“People love love,” LeBaiti says. “They want that happy story. They want to feel good.”
That joy is central to Between the Sips. Romance novels are sometimes dismissed as unserious or frivolous, particularly when they are written by and marketed toward women. LeBaiti wants her store to be a place where readers can celebrate the genre without embarrassment.
“It is meaningful,” she says. “And you can also have 10 different book boyfriends, and it’s OK.”
The tearoom extends that invitation. Guests can reserve an afternoon tea experience with sandwiches, scones, desserts and a rotating selection of seasonal teas. Once a month, the food and drinks will be inspired by a different book. LeBaiti also hopes to host book clubs, release celebrations and signings with local authors.
Happily Ever After
Between the Sips is a dramatic departure from LeBaiti’s 13 years of managing health care clinics. She is continuing to work full time while getting her new business off the ground, balancing the demands of entrepreneurship with family life. Her husband is retiring after 20 years in the military, and after nearly 14 years in Colorado, the family is extending its roots.
LeBaiti admits that taking the leap was frightening. If she had paused too long to consider everything that could go wrong, she says she might have backed out. Instead, she took a small-business development course, repeatedly rewrote her proposal and kept going.
When the Between the Sips sign finally went up, she sat in the parking lot and cried.
“This was my dream coming to reality,” she says. “Seeing it really come to life and now open — I don’t even have the words.”
Now LeBaiti imagines the shelves growing fuller and the tearoom bustling with customers. More than anything, she hopes to know her regulars by name and create a place where people can find a story, share a pot of tea and connect over their shared love of love.
“We’re here for everyone,” LeBaiti says. “We want to support the community. We’re just going to be a fun space.”
Whether you come for the books or the tea — or both — Between the Sips gives romance readers a place to find their next happily-ever-after, one cup at a time.
Explore more details and tea and event schedules at @BetweentheSips.
Find more tearooms in our Tea Time in Colorado Springs.
