Phoenix Books, which operates stores in Essex Junction and Burlington, Vt., will open its third location, in Rutland at the corner of Center Street and Merchants Row, the Herald reported. Co-owner Michael DeSanto signed a five-year lease for the 2,400-square-foot space, filling roughly half the first floor of the former Lake Sunapee Bank building.
"This has been an incredible collaboration," he said, promising a layout that "will knock your socks off."
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| Mike DeSanto | |
Plans call for a soft opening in August, with design and renovations set to begin soon, DeSanto noted, adding that the company is looking to hire a local person as manager.
Steve Costello, Green Mountain Power v-p for generation and energy innovation, said, "We reached out to a lot of different organizations over the last couple months to roll out the welcome mat. I'm really pleased that everyone we asked helped roll it out."
Rutland has been without an indie selling new books since Book King closed last July after 43 years in business. The Herald noted that Phoenix "uses a model similar to community-supported agriculture, covering start-up costs by getting patrons to pre-buy books. Fifty-four residents and businesses signed up for $1,000 in pre-buys, for which DeSanto offered thanks."
"You don't know me," he said. "You don't really know what I'm going to do and yet we have commitments coming in and checks coming in that are going to make it happen."
Downtown Rutland Partnership executive director Michael Coppinger added: "Independent bookstores are a real treasure. It's a niche we have been needing to fill for a while in the downtown. Our market studies have shown that a well-run bookstore will do well in the downtown."