New Posting and New Products

Recession? What Recession!

In all the years I have been a bookseller I have never been so optimistic about the future of my bookstore. Phoenix Books has enjoyed surprising growth in this first quarter of 2010. Coming on the heels of a very strong final quarter of 2009, the store has cut losses dramatically and is nearing break even status. Only a bookstore would boast of not losing money! We continue to add new customers and that reflects the success of our "one customer at a time" philosophy: One customer at a time who receives our full attention and the best service we can offer with a smile; One customer at a time who discovers us for the first time and leaves feeling this was a place to return to for community, connection and customer service;One customer at a time who decides that there is something..."je' ne sais quoi"...that makes Phoenix Books special, unique,local, and worth spending time and money to support. So, unlike Richard III, now is not the winter of my discontent but the spring of my reborn optimism. The naming of the store has come full circle:)

What Phoenix Does Inside The Doors

Customers should notice a new emphasis on some non-book items. There are some fabulous new and expanded lines of journals on the back wall. We try and buy domestic made, or fair trade products when ever it is possible. Even some of the standard lines include generous amounts of recovered or recycled materials. My favorite is Elephant Poo, yes poo, made from that very product, dried and pressed into paper. The poo originates in Thailand. Try it, you will like it. There is also a new mini journal made out of...Panda Poo. There are also products by Sustainable Threads, a Fair Trade company from India with recycled, handmade, products. Hope For Women features fair trade, hand made cards from El Salvador and the Himalaya region...these are quite unique and very beautiful. The headquarters is right here in Vermont, in Burlington...how cool is that? There are also new collections from Paperblanks, and the very trendy folks at Moleskine. We also added a new line of journals from Eco System which are made in the USA and feature 100% post consumer recycled paper! There are also new chocolates and new teas available, and keep an eye open for new boxed cards, writing papers and wrapping papers.