In the appropriately named town of Phoenixville, Pa., about 30 miles
from
Philadelphia, a new bookstore called Bridge Street Bookshop is opening
for business today. Owner Suzanne Kelly was general manager
of Gene's Books, the King of Prussia, Pa., bookstore that closed in
2000.
When Gene's closed, "I knew then that I would open my own store," Kelly told Shelf Awareness. "I wanted to do it right away, but then I realized I didn't have quite enough experience." She wanted to learn more about buying, so she talked with Bob and Kathy Simoneaux, owners of Chester County Book & Music Co. in nearby West Chester, Pa., who hired her to be their children's book buyer and manage the children's department. "They welcomed me with open arms," Kelly recalled. "Kathy taught me what I needed to know."
After two years at Chester County, Kelly also worked for a year in publicity and marketing at Running Press, then was let go in a major layoff, which proved to be the catalyst to start the bookstore. She joined a program to help unemployed people start their own businesses, where over nine weeks, she developed a business plan, built a financial model, found an accountant and began applying for loans.
Kelly found space in an 1870 building in the center of Phoenixville's historic downtown area, which has been revitalized with state aid in recent years. "There are new townhouses and new condos on the way, a new office building, a new district court building, new stores and restaurants," Kelly said. "It was time to get in on the ground floor. If I missed it, I probably couldn't afford to get in later."
The 1,700-sq.-ft. general store will have "basically every subject you can think of," Kelly said. "We won't specialize in any particular thing," although she did note that with all the building and redevelopment in the town of 15,000, she would emphasize home decoration and cooking titles.
The store will also carry book-related sidelines such as cards and book marks as well as newspapers and magazines, including some foreign ones, which had "a huge clientele" at Gene's.
Because Steel City Coffee House is across the street, Kelly will not provide customers caffeine. "I've approached the owners and others in the area about helping each other out. We may start with joint incentives." As Kelly envisions it, a customer making a purchase at Bridge Street Bookshop would get a discount at Steel City and vice versa. Besides, she added, "I want to focus on selling books; they do a good job selling coffee."
Kelly would like to hold larger events at both Steel City, which already has music and poetry nights, and at the nearby Colonial Theatre. Because of its size, Bridge Street Bookshop can host only "intimate" events.
A member of Book Sense, the store will eventually have a Web site.
There's one unusual aspect of Kelly's new venture. Bridge Street Bookshop is the one retail unit in its building, which was recently renovated. The building includes five apartments, one of which Kelly has rented. "I'm going to be at the store a lot anyway," Kelly laughed. If she finds that work and home are too close, Kelly has an out: her apartment lease runs only a year.
Bridge Street Bookshop is located at 214 Bridge St., Phoenixville, Pa. 19460; 610-933-5582.
When Gene's closed, "I knew then that I would open my own store," Kelly told Shelf Awareness. "I wanted to do it right away, but then I realized I didn't have quite enough experience." She wanted to learn more about buying, so she talked with Bob and Kathy Simoneaux, owners of Chester County Book & Music Co. in nearby West Chester, Pa., who hired her to be their children's book buyer and manage the children's department. "They welcomed me with open arms," Kelly recalled. "Kathy taught me what I needed to know."
After two years at Chester County, Kelly also worked for a year in publicity and marketing at Running Press, then was let go in a major layoff, which proved to be the catalyst to start the bookstore. She joined a program to help unemployed people start their own businesses, where over nine weeks, she developed a business plan, built a financial model, found an accountant and began applying for loans.
Kelly found space in an 1870 building in the center of Phoenixville's historic downtown area, which has been revitalized with state aid in recent years. "There are new townhouses and new condos on the way, a new office building, a new district court building, new stores and restaurants," Kelly said. "It was time to get in on the ground floor. If I missed it, I probably couldn't afford to get in later."
The 1,700-sq.-ft. general store will have "basically every subject you can think of," Kelly said. "We won't specialize in any particular thing," although she did note that with all the building and redevelopment in the town of 15,000, she would emphasize home decoration and cooking titles.
The store will also carry book-related sidelines such as cards and book marks as well as newspapers and magazines, including some foreign ones, which had "a huge clientele" at Gene's.
Because Steel City Coffee House is across the street, Kelly will not provide customers caffeine. "I've approached the owners and others in the area about helping each other out. We may start with joint incentives." As Kelly envisions it, a customer making a purchase at Bridge Street Bookshop would get a discount at Steel City and vice versa. Besides, she added, "I want to focus on selling books; they do a good job selling coffee."
Kelly would like to hold larger events at both Steel City, which already has music and poetry nights, and at the nearby Colonial Theatre. Because of its size, Bridge Street Bookshop can host only "intimate" events.
A member of Book Sense, the store will eventually have a Web site.
There's one unusual aspect of Kelly's new venture. Bridge Street Bookshop is the one retail unit in its building, which was recently renovated. The building includes five apartments, one of which Kelly has rented. "I'm going to be at the store a lot anyway," Kelly laughed. If she finds that work and home are too close, Kelly has an out: her apartment lease runs only a year.
Bridge Street Bookshop is located at 214 Bridge St., Phoenixville, Pa. 19460; 610-933-5582.