The Poisoned Pen Writes Yet Another Chapter

While happy to be celebrating the 15th anniversary of The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona, the longevity of the store wasn't what owner Barbara Peters expected. "I'm as surprised as anyone," said Peters, who opened the store, which specializes in crime fiction, "more or less as a hobby" after retiring from her career as a librarian. During her "retirement" she also founded, and is now the editor of Poisoned Pen Press, a separate entity from the bookstore. And in January, she'll open Poisoned Pen Central, a satellite store, in downtown Phoenix. To celebrate the new bookstore and the 15th anniversary of the original Poisoned Pen, Peters, staff, and customers will be "partying all month." Festivities include a number of author events and a birthday party featuring cake and a reading by T. Jefferson Parker (California Girl, Morrow).

Poisoned Pen Central is opening in response to the incredible growth rate of Phoenix, which has moved from the 11th to the fifth largest metro-region in the U.S. The business will have 2,000 square feet of selling space and is opening with four other businesses -- including a restaurant and an art gallery -- in a large converted linen warehouse. "We'll be able to take advantage of four well-known local brands," said Peters. Two bonuses of the arrangement are, the bookstore will have a cafe as a neighbor and it will be able to use the 11,000-square-foot gallery space for large-scale author events.

The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona, is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Peters credits the store's success, in part, to its busy location. She is willing to pay higher rent to operate the business in the heart of the art district in Scottsdale, an approach that has brought in a lot of traffic. She also credits her customers who, she explained, provide a valuable resource. She often accepts their volunteered help and always carefully listens to their suggestions. "I'm a believer in growing your business as you go along," said Peters, who noted that she follows the business philosophy of Smith & Hawken, the gardening company, which advises to "grow your business by listening to what your customers ask you to do." That approach led her to find a smart and simple solution to keep the business of the steady stream of customers who visit the store, but don't necessarily live in the area. "When we opened I started doing mail order right away. I saw that I could relate to customers by writing to them. Our business is 70 percent mail order." When the Internet developed, Poisoned Pen was in a prime position to build its mail-order business further.

Peters augmented the heavy volume in mail order by offering a variety of automatic selection book clubs designed to give readers new books each month. Books can be mailed or picked up at the store. The clubs have been popular with customers, many of whom joined several years ago and rely on the regular supply of Peters' selections. She told BTW that the automatic clubs have been a way to maintain a "very solid base every month. There's always that predictable cash flow. We know we can sell a certain number of hardcovers."

In part, the clubs have also been Poisoned Pen's reaction to shifts in the book industry. "One thing that's changed over 15 years is the intense competition," she said. "When we opened, the [industry] was more like a club. There've been so many changes. It's quickly evolved into extreme competition. But the book clubs have been surprisingly stable."

Peters, who has some legal training (she went through the Virginia bar's apprentice attorney program), said that it has been very helpful in all areas, particularly in creating a business plan and an exit strategy for Poisoned Pen and, more recently, in formulating plans for Poisoned Pen Central, which she has been careful to separate financially from the original. "It's a very low risk enterprise. If successful -- great! If not, we can walk away and just cry a little. That'll be all. When you're taking a risk, but not risking everything, it's amazing how creative you can be.&quot --Karen Schechner