Liberty Bay Thrives on Meeting Community's Diverse Needs

Liberty Bay Books' Suzanne Droppert said she didn't have "a lick" of experience when she bought her bookstore in 1996. But she quickly learned the skills needed to develop a bookstore to suit the interests of the diverse city of Poulsbo, Washington, a suburb of Seattle with large Scandinavian and Native American communities.

Droppert had been in the insurance business, when she decided to "quit corporate America" and work for herself. She bought an existing bookstore located on the eponymous Liberty Bay, but soon moved the store across the street to a bigger, 1,500-square-foot corner location with plenty of windows. She also put in a small cafe with antique tables.

Poulsbo was settled by Scandinavians and still has a considerable Scandinavian population. Liberty Bay Books reflects the town's history and citizenry. "We sell a lot of Norwegian language books," said Droppert. The town also has a large Native American community and is next to a marina, so Liberty Bay specializes in literature on local tribes and nautical topics as well. "It's an odd mix," she said.

It's also a favorable one. Droppert reported that sales have gone up every year since she bought the store, though she said she still pines for another Harry Potter year. Sales of former President Bill Clinton's memoir were fine, but in Poulsbo he was no match for Mr. Potter, she said.

It takes a long time to get anywhere from Poulsbo. It's a 20-minute drive to the ferry and another half hour onboard to get to Seattle. In a wise business move, Droppert started what has become a very popular audiobook rental service so customers could listen while doing all that driving. She stocks about 800 CDs and cassettes.

Droppert explained that "families will pick up four or five for road trips." The rentals also spur sales. "Yesterday after one customer returned a rental, they bought the audiobook and the [print] book too."

Droppert even sometimes provides the audiobook rental service via mail. Liberty Bay charges four dollars for a week's rental, though Droppert mentioned that if customers are late returning them, she "[doesn't] penalize them because I want them to keep coming back." After 10 rentals, the next one is free.

Liberty Bay has a BookSense.com Web site, www.libertybaybooks.com, and Droppert stamps the Web address on all her Book Sense fliers, and the coffee mugs in the cafe also feature the address. The site is particularly helpful for teachers, said Droppert. They use it to place all their school orders. Book Sense gift cards have also become a popular service for her customers. "People now ask for the gift cards and refill them or send them along to someone else. Or they send one to their grandma in Minnesota."

Droppert is thrilled to have her insurance days behind her. She loves socializing with her customers and enjoys the challenges of being a bookseller. "You have to make all the decisions yourself and no one will bail you out, with corporate America other people will carry the load. But I enjoy that challenge," she said. "It's been totally fun."