Suzanne Droppert told herself she wanted to do something different by the time she turned 40. After a long career in the corporate America, she thought, “What do I want to do when I grow up?” she recalls.
That is when she set her sight on an independent bookstore in Poulsbo called Shotwell’s. An avid reader, she told the owners she would buy the store from them. It took three years for the couple to take her up on her word — when the Shotwells were ready to retire, they struck the deal with Droppert.
Twelve years later, Droppert is still enjoying her new “career” as an independent bookstore owner. She’s expanded the hours and the inventory, added a coffee shop and a reading area, and has worked on proving her belief that “a bookstore is always a community center.”
Liberty Bay Book hosts author and book release events, to the delight of fans of books like “Harry Potter” and “Twilight.” But Droppert doesn’t stop there. She’s been coming up with ideas to encourage shoppers to come back to her store — especially for ways to provide free entertainment for various ages.
“You have to be creative and think outside the box,” she says of her marketing ideas.
One creative addition was to sell “Chico” reusable shopping bags with the store’s logo. When customers use a reusable bag, the bookstore donates five cents to a charity of customer’s choice from a list of three. Currently, Fishline, the Marine Science Center and Kitsap County Literacy are on the list but Droppert says she hopes to rotate them.
She also sells books online through the store’s Web site , and customers even have the choice of shopping online but picking up their book at the store.
As a member of indibound.org , Droppert has been encouraging ideas that can be adopted in a downtown-wide “shop local” campaign, promoted by the Historic Downtown Poulsbo Association. “I’ve tried to jump on that bandwagon with other businesses downtown,” she says. “It’s a way of marketing and reaching out to the community.”
Despite the busy schedule, Droppert remains an avid reader. She says she reads two books a week, one of them on audio. She loves exchanging ideas with her customers, too — both adults and youngsters.
After being her own boss for more than a decade, Droppert acknowledges it would be tough to “go back” and work for someone else. Switching to business ownership was a big move, and one that seems to have paid off. “I love the fun, positive environment here,” she says.
The economy has been tough on small businesses like Droppert’s, but she says the bookstore is moving ahead. “Loyal customers are helping survive the economy, and being creative with finding new customers,” she says.
