Here is to the New Year of 2009. We are wrapping up our holiday sales today. The business has been better than I expected! We enjoyed a record setting sales day last week and a second highest day yesterday:) All is not dark nor is it lost. Phoenix Books will reach the sales goal for December which will be an increase of 15% over last year but do keep in mind that last year was year one:) I expect 2009 to be slow and do not anticipate any sales increases. If our sales stay level each month I will be grateful.
There are some modest changes in the winds. We are going to move our floor plan around by shifting the receiving station to the back near the door. This will open up our cash wrap allowing our booksellers easier access to the sales floor. Other adjustments include: sliding the children's department forward into the store to give it more prominence; placing lettering on the banner in the back, as in "Children's Books", and adjusting the product mix to reflect the price consciousness of our customers.
I would like to state my unequivocal commitment to remaining open. Renee and I are positive we can continue to offer a terrific alternative to chain stores, ersatz discounters, and thieving (think sales tax) Internet competitors. We know we can move ahead even in these stormy times(see my comments earlier about white water management!). I see the day when chain stores are failed models and the independent store becomes the safe haven for cutting edge literature, real paper books and alternative ideas. By the way, Borders is indeed in serious trouble.
I would also like to state my profound appreciation of the efforts of my "team of booksellers" at Phoenix Books. These last 14 months have been the start up period for the store. Everyone has learned new processes, new equipment, new hardware, new software and so on. Everyone works here because they want to work in this store. I thank each one for their varied and special contributions to making Phoenix Books the unique,local, and independent bookstore it is. I especially want to thank Colleen, Kristen, Deb and Jenn for their work. Each one contributed ideas and energy and effort that far exceeded the modest pay they received. They have moved on to bigger and better things in towns across America but we miss their presence in our store!
So, here is to looking forward and as Satchel Paige, the famous pitcher, said "don't look back...you don't know what might be gaining on you".
Happy New Year:)
Michael DeSanto &
Renee Reiner
Owners of Phoenix Books & Cafe
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
hope and white water
I voted last week. It is a foregone conclusion that Vermont will go for Obama. I predict 62% for Obama. Mine was a vote for hope. I think I was voting for the future of our children and yes, our country( I am indeed a patriot:) Here in Vermont my preference for Pollina or Symington is well known. McCain and Douglas have a terrible thing in common. Both seem to want to govern from fear...fear of change, fear of the other. It sickens me to hear either of these men claim to know what "Vermonters" or their fellow citizens want. These two politicos long ago left the world of regular folks and have become, quite frankly, apparatchiks of the status quo at a time when boldness and innovation are desperately needed. Imagine being governor and opposing wind turbines on ridges because the tourists expect to see pristine( except for cell towers, new mc'mansions and huge gouges from new or upgraded electrical transmission lines). If we remain addicted to foreign oil there won't be any tourists.
A friend of mine suggested the world was chaotic and that would be true. Phoenix Books recognizes that chaos in our world is inevitable and that taking in the moment is the only way to cope with it. For years I have believed that management issues will always be caught up in endless whitewater. It is a myth to expect any calm water. Managers used to say..."let's get through this rough stretch and things will settle down". Wrong. Business, government and perhaps life are simply managing endless white water. Anything less may not be worth doing. So all of us here are trying to steer and row our little Phoenix Books boat through white water rapids. It's just that this white water may be off the charts, unnavigable, or perhaps exceeding Class V. But just like my vote for Obama I hold out hope that we can, all of us, navigate through these Class V rapids so that a good old ride through Class III water will feel like floating down the Lamoille in an inner tube on a sultry summer day. If anyone is reading this...namaste :)
A friend of mine suggested the world was chaotic and that would be true. Phoenix Books recognizes that chaos in our world is inevitable and that taking in the moment is the only way to cope with it. For years I have believed that management issues will always be caught up in endless whitewater. It is a myth to expect any calm water. Managers used to say..."let's get through this rough stretch and things will settle down". Wrong. Business, government and perhaps life are simply managing endless white water. Anything less may not be worth doing. So all of us here are trying to steer and row our little Phoenix Books boat through white water rapids. It's just that this white water may be off the charts, unnavigable, or perhaps exceeding Class V. But just like my vote for Obama I hold out hope that we can, all of us, navigate through these Class V rapids so that a good old ride through Class III water will feel like floating down the Lamoille in an inner tube on a sultry summer day. If anyone is reading this...namaste :)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
monday, monday, greg melville
If you see this...plan to come in to visit and see Greg Melville, a virtual stand-up comic, talk about his cross country trip in a vegetable oil fueled automobile. The things I learn about my erstwhile running companions would...fill a book LOL. He is here Monday night at 7:00 p.m. Greg lived in Vermont for quite a while but sadly has moved on to North Carolina. I still count him as a "local author" so please come out and support this event. Greasy Rider is the title, and has been reviewed in our local press, so perhaps you have seen it written up?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
blogging and discounts
Well, I have added one follower I see in the brave new world of blogging. At this rate, some time in the far far future I may have everyone in the universe following my blog.
Did you see the rather bland but interesting PBS show on indie bookstores last week? I did! The story focused on two famous but struggling indies. One has since closed and the other soldiers on. Mind you I have the utmost respect for bookstores and the owners who love them but having done this twice I can only hope that anyone else who opens a bookstore or even buys an existing bookstore does not, I repeat, does not need to finance their childrens education on the proceeds from such a store! Bookstores are also harsh mistresses and oft times do not return the love we owners lavish on them.
Keplers is still open and according to the show embarked on a redesign of the floor that mirrors the concepts here at Phoenix Books(OK, Mike, don't hurt yourself patting yourself on the back), like openness, accessibility, and a comfortable but contemporary environment. I learned that in the fifties there was an explosion in paperback book publishing that led a charge to make books more affordable and thus more ownable. The industry got away from that in the eighties and nineties but now I think Phoenix Books may return to that older model and return many of our hardbacks(at $30-$40 each) and stock more paperbacks (at $12-$15 each).
Codys and Keplers have attempted to stay alive by soliciting direct investment from community members. The Cody owners expressed surprise that the initial surge of support during their crisis didn't last longer than a few months, that within 6 months traffic dropped and supposed regular customers had returned to buying books based on convenience and price. I was surprised that they were surprised! Customers are like butterflies, flitting from flower to flower, sampling each one and always looking for the better flower from the next bush:) In order to keep your butterflies the bush needs to have a lot of flowers and they need to be very colorful and, presumably, flavorful and interesting (OK, the metaphor is stretched but there is such a book called "The Butterfly Customer" :) get it?) The point is that loyalty, per se, is a myth. Customers shop for convenience first, followed by price and then, perhaps, by social concerns, and quality of the experience. There are, of course, exceptions and many of our customers are exceptional! But the level of motivation generated by our "buy local" efforts or "indiebound" efforts are slight by comparison. We soldier on however, fighting for one new customer at a time:)
The show also reiterated the evils of the internet, which does, quite literally, steal sales taxes from starving states and could easily be solved by requiring internet sellers to collect and remit sales taxes to the state from which the sale occured( loosely pretending that your home computer was the nexus of the sale, not the computer of the seller). And perhaps those of you shopping online will think about the consequnces of your actions when you do that and don't complain so much about ice heaves, property taxes and declining state revenues. They also pointed out, quite correctly, the disgusting practice of Costco and Walmart to use books, books mind you, as a loss leader, as if a book was some throw away toy or last seasons shoes, thereby selling front list bestselling books at prices I cannot get from the publisher!
Well, enough about me...what about you? If you read this go ahead and submit a response. I'd love to here from you. If you have an idea that might make the store a profit center please tell me! I'd love to hear that too. Better yet, come by the store and tell me your self. I'd love to make your aquaintance.
Michael DeSanto
Did you see the rather bland but interesting PBS show on indie bookstores last week? I did! The story focused on two famous but struggling indies. One has since closed and the other soldiers on. Mind you I have the utmost respect for bookstores and the owners who love them but having done this twice I can only hope that anyone else who opens a bookstore or even buys an existing bookstore does not, I repeat, does not need to finance their childrens education on the proceeds from such a store! Bookstores are also harsh mistresses and oft times do not return the love we owners lavish on them.
Keplers is still open and according to the show embarked on a redesign of the floor that mirrors the concepts here at Phoenix Books(OK, Mike, don't hurt yourself patting yourself on the back), like openness, accessibility, and a comfortable but contemporary environment. I learned that in the fifties there was an explosion in paperback book publishing that led a charge to make books more affordable and thus more ownable. The industry got away from that in the eighties and nineties but now I think Phoenix Books may return to that older model and return many of our hardbacks(at $30-$40 each) and stock more paperbacks (at $12-$15 each).
Codys and Keplers have attempted to stay alive by soliciting direct investment from community members. The Cody owners expressed surprise that the initial surge of support during their crisis didn't last longer than a few months, that within 6 months traffic dropped and supposed regular customers had returned to buying books based on convenience and price. I was surprised that they were surprised! Customers are like butterflies, flitting from flower to flower, sampling each one and always looking for the better flower from the next bush:) In order to keep your butterflies the bush needs to have a lot of flowers and they need to be very colorful and, presumably, flavorful and interesting (OK, the metaphor is stretched but there is such a book called "The Butterfly Customer" :) get it?) The point is that loyalty, per se, is a myth. Customers shop for convenience first, followed by price and then, perhaps, by social concerns, and quality of the experience. There are, of course, exceptions and many of our customers are exceptional! But the level of motivation generated by our "buy local" efforts or "indiebound" efforts are slight by comparison. We soldier on however, fighting for one new customer at a time:)
The show also reiterated the evils of the internet, which does, quite literally, steal sales taxes from starving states and could easily be solved by requiring internet sellers to collect and remit sales taxes to the state from which the sale occured( loosely pretending that your home computer was the nexus of the sale, not the computer of the seller). And perhaps those of you shopping online will think about the consequnces of your actions when you do that and don't complain so much about ice heaves, property taxes and declining state revenues. They also pointed out, quite correctly, the disgusting practice of Costco and Walmart to use books, books mind you, as a loss leader, as if a book was some throw away toy or last seasons shoes, thereby selling front list bestselling books at prices I cannot get from the publisher!
Well, enough about me...what about you? If you read this go ahead and submit a response. I'd love to here from you. If you have an idea that might make the store a profit center please tell me! I'd love to hear that too. Better yet, come by the store and tell me your self. I'd love to make your aquaintance.
Michael DeSanto
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
author events
So, Archer Mayor came in last Saturday and spoke to a group of about 15, after having had less than that, by a lot, at two other locales. We had him sign dozens of copies of his new book, The Catch, on the expectation of holiday sales. But my rant today, such as it is, has to do with the last days of author events. The competition, and I don't mean chain stores or the internet, has swamped our communities with authors, both local and national, to the point where most everyone is very blaise about such an event. Competition means, Johnson State College running nice sized ads in the BFP for an event, UVM with world famous writers coming in free to the public, and our local libraries and non-profits finding money to pay local authors to speak. For example, one library down the road had a sign up announcing "seven local writers" would be speaking. And so it goes, but where does one go as a bookstore to find that special niche to attract customers? If you know, please let me know, as I am open to suggestions. Clearly the "old" ways will not work any longer!
Next up-Discounting and what it really does to the bottom line!
Have a nice day:) Read a book!
Next up-Discounting and what it really does to the bottom line!
Have a nice day:) Read a book!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Archer Mayor at Phoenix Books
I am having dinner with Archer Mayor tomorrow night and perhaps I'll bring him over to the store for the reading at 7:00 p.m.! If you have not read a Joe Gunther novel then get on over to the store tomorrow night and just sit back and let Archer entertain and regale you with his warm, witty and fun stories about almost anything relating to crime, police and Vermont:) That's the commercial notice for todays entry.
Phoenix Books has been open for just about a year. I think we sold our first book on October 8th, 2007. Our numbers are spot on, and that is the good news and the bad news. Good because I used a good guess for projecting sales and bad because I really thought we would do better. LOL But just like the lovely politicians, the blankety blank wall streeters and the three monkey regulators( see no-speak no and hear no), I didn't see this scary scary melt down coming. So just when I would expect to see sales going up for the holidays they are taking a decided turn down. I hope sales don't go as far south as the snow birders do.
This does lead me to the point, though. Now is the time to tighten our belts but it is not the time to throw our friends and neighbors into the fire. If buying local was important before this conflagration, I believe it is even more important now. Buy less if we must, but buy wisely and frugally. Count the true cost of what we buy...in lost sales taxes for our schools and roads, in lost jobs for our neighbors and friends, and lost safety and security as reflected in lead tainted toys and adulterated baby formula, lost quality of life as we continue to rely more and more on foreign countries to supply us our daily habits, whatever they are, and lost ethics and values as we scramble for the cheapest and mostest rather than the best. I think Tolkien wrote " all that is gold does not glitter" or something to that effect. (Special prize if you can find an earlier reference to this quote). Remember, you can make a difference by where you buy something just as much as what you buy. Buying local keeps the entire process in our community and helps the community become more self reliant, something we will be needing more of not less as this global drama unfolds.
Look for more posts about Phoenix Books and Cafe on a completely arbitrary and capricious schedule as well as the occasional rant about the travails of being an independent bookstore in an age of mindlessness.
Michael,
Owner of Phoenix Books and Cafe
Phoenix Books has been open for just about a year. I think we sold our first book on October 8th, 2007. Our numbers are spot on, and that is the good news and the bad news. Good because I used a good guess for projecting sales and bad because I really thought we would do better. LOL But just like the lovely politicians, the blankety blank wall streeters and the three monkey regulators( see no-speak no and hear no), I didn't see this scary scary melt down coming. So just when I would expect to see sales going up for the holidays they are taking a decided turn down. I hope sales don't go as far south as the snow birders do.
This does lead me to the point, though. Now is the time to tighten our belts but it is not the time to throw our friends and neighbors into the fire. If buying local was important before this conflagration, I believe it is even more important now. Buy less if we must, but buy wisely and frugally. Count the true cost of what we buy...in lost sales taxes for our schools and roads, in lost jobs for our neighbors and friends, and lost safety and security as reflected in lead tainted toys and adulterated baby formula, lost quality of life as we continue to rely more and more on foreign countries to supply us our daily habits, whatever they are, and lost ethics and values as we scramble for the cheapest and mostest rather than the best. I think Tolkien wrote " all that is gold does not glitter" or something to that effect. (Special prize if you can find an earlier reference to this quote). Remember, you can make a difference by where you buy something just as much as what you buy. Buying local keeps the entire process in our community and helps the community become more self reliant, something we will be needing more of not less as this global drama unfolds.
Look for more posts about Phoenix Books and Cafe on a completely arbitrary and capricious schedule as well as the occasional rant about the travails of being an independent bookstore in an age of mindlessness.
Michael,
Owner of Phoenix Books and Cafe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
