Former Briggs Carriage Bookstore co-owner Barbara Ebling and Phoenix Books owner Mike DeSanto "have teamed up with the help of a community advisory council to open The Bookstore," which made its debut December 4 on the first floor of the Briggs Carriage building at 8 Conant Square in Brandon, Vt., the Addison County Independent reported.
Ebling, whose bookstore closed in 2012 ("It was too big. The space was too big, and we were trying to do too much."), subsequently worked for Book & Leaf bookstore, which closed earlier this year after owners Steve and Melissa Errick put the building up for sale. It was there, however, that the idea was hatched last August for a new venture during a conversation with Steve Errick and local sculptor and writer B. Amore.
Although renting the Book & Leaf space proved to be too expensive, the idea "grew exponentially" when Amore suggested contacting DeSanto. "Without B., I would have been too shy. I wouldn't have done that," Ebling said. She and Amore envisioned a community-supported bookstore, and an advisory council was formed. The group held a planning meeting this fall and invited DeSanto. "He liked what he saw and what he heard," Ebling added. "He liked that I was involved and had experience. He's committed to keeping independent bookstores alive in Vermont."
DeSanto had a limited liability corporation, Ebling started her own and the two agreed to partner with an eye to a community-supported enterprise under the umbrella of Phoenix Books Brandon, operating the business as The Bookstore.
"I know a thing or two," Ebling said. "I don't know it all, but now I also have someone I can call and say, 'Mike, what do I do? Help!' and it's so valuable. He gives me perspective."
After months of searching for another retail space, advisory council member Kate Briggs, who owns the Briggs Carriage building, suggested her property and "drove a hard bargain, insisting on a rental price unheard of these days: $1 a month, for the first year," the Independent noted.
"Frankly, I'm doing this because it's incredibly good for the town," Briggs said. "I think when you drive through a town and you see an independent bookstore, you think 'This is a classy little town.' I think it makes a difference and will enhance the value of everything. The combination of Barbara and Mike, who knew what they were doing, who thought it could be done, then I certainly felt it could be done. And I really felt that rent was critical."
The group has established a Community Supported Bookstore Certificate Program, through which patrons buy a $500 certificate and get an equivalent credit on books bought at the store. They can redeem up to 10% per month and no more than $1,000 in a calendar year. They also get 20% off books and 10% off other merchandise for the life of the certificate.
"I think everybody is really excited about this," Briggs said, and Ebling added: "It's a nice tapestry that's weaving itself together."
DeSanto said he believes in The Bookstore venture: "I've been in the business for 25 years and there's very little I haven't had to cope with.... It's one thing for me to put in money, it's one thing for Barbara to put on money. The third leg of this is community support. By getting the community involved at the front end, it becomes much easier to move forward.... The future is just wide open and I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for Barbara. She and I felt that if we make The Bookstore a success, it would be a reflection of Brandon's success in the future."