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... some 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
By the way, we have created a mini gift & stationery store within the walls at Phoenix! In addition to our unbelievable selection of cards and expanded offerings in journals, there are new choices in jewelry, hand bags, scarves, and wrapping papers. There are some fabulous new lines of journals on the back wall. We try to buy domestic-made or fair trade products whenever 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. Try it, you will like it.