Name

Phoenix Books

Legal name

Phoenix Books

Website

https://phoenixbooks.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Bookstore Retail

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592), Book Publishers (513130), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Retail-Nonstore Retailers (5960)

akta.pro primary industry

General Bookstores (New Books) (CRALAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Books & Educational Readers Retail (CRALAAAD), E-book Retail & Reading Platforms (Stores, Apps, Devices) (MPAJAMAA)

Keywords

• Independent bookstore retail
• Local book sales
• Book subscription services
• Author event hosting
• Community bookstore operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Book Sales: Core revenue from selling physical books, audiobooks, and merchandise across three Vermont store locations and online. Offers books in various formats including paperback, hardcover, board books, and specialty items.
2. Book Club Membership: $40 annual membership providing 20% off every book, 10% off cards, stationery, toys, gifts, and calendars. No physical card required and works for entire household.
3. Books of a Feather Subscription: Monthly book subscription with $0.01 initial charge plus monthly retail price plus $7.50 S&H (Media Mail to US addresses). Book club discounts apply.
4. Business-to-Business Sales: Discounted bulk sales to businesses, schools, and libraries with 20% everyday discount and up to 25% on qualifying volume orders. Includes book fair services for corporate events.
5. Onion River Press Publishing: Self-publishing arm that provides print-on-demand services to local authors. Revenue from author publishing packages and distribution through Phoenix Books locations.
6. Audiobook Sales via Libro.fm: Partnership with Libro.fm for audiobook sales. Every purchase supports Phoenix Books through profit sharing from the audiobook provider.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Phoenix Books is an independent Vermont bookstore chain that sells physical books, audiobooks, and related merchandise across three retail locations (Burlington, Essex Junction, Rutland) and an e-commerce website. The company supplements core retail with the Books of a Feather monthly book subscription, a $40/year Phoenix Book Club discount membership, in-store author events in a 75-person theater, B2B bulk sales to schools, libraries, and businesses, and a self-publishing imprint called Onion River Press that provides print-on-demand services to local authors.

Product overview

Phoenix Books is a multi-location independent Vermont bookstore chain operating three retail locations (Essex, Burlington, Rutland) plus a comprehensive e-commerce platform. The core offering is book retail sales, both in-store and online, supplemented by a self-publishing imprint (Onion River Press), an audiobook service via Libro.fm partnership, a monthly subscription (Books of a Feather), a membership discount program (Phoenix Book Club), author event programming, local author consignment, and B2B sales services. These offerings form an integrated independent bookstore ecosystem supporting local authors, publishers, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Onion River Press: A small, locally-owned, independent, print-on-demand publisher based out of Phoenix Books in Vermont, offering publishing services for local authors.

Products and services

• Phoenix Books Retail Stores

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% discount on books with Book Club membership
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Libro.fmcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPhoenix Books partners with Libro.fm, the only audiobook provider that supports local bookstores. Every audiobook purchase through Phoenix Books' Libro.fm page generates profit sharing for the store. Offers over 600,000 audiobooks including bestsellers, DRM-free downloads, free iOS and Android apps, and Phoenix Books-curated playlists. Phoenix Books is featured as a Social Purpose Corporation and Certified B Corp partner.
• Onion River PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnion River Press is a small, locally-owned, independent, print-on-demand publisher born from Phoenix Books in Vermont. It provides self-publishing services to local authors with face-to-face customer service. Distribution includes all four Phoenix Books locations plus their online store. Executive Publisher is Michael DeSanto, owner of Phoenix Books.
• Vermont Local PublishersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhoenix Books actively supports Vermont publishers including Inner Traditions (Rochester, VT), Green Writers Press (West Brattleboro, VT), Tuttle Publishing (North Clarendon, VT), Rootstock Publishing (Montpelier, VT), Choose Your Own Adventure (North Central, VT), and Danforth Pewter. These products are prominently featured in stores.
• Community OrganizationsminorOthersPhoenix Books contributes to fundraisers for over 30 local organizations including schools, libraries, senior centers, youth programs, and charitable causes. Organizations include AD Lawton School, Brownell Library, Building Bright Futures, Essex Area Senior Center, VT Association for the Blind/Visually Impaired, and many others.
• Come Alive OutsideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhoenix Books partners with Come Alive Outside to create the Audio Book Walking Club experience in downtown Rutland - combining gentle walks with audiobook listening for community engagement.
• Star 92.9 RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Star 92.9 radio station for the Turning Pages with Mary book discussion program. Mary Cenci from Star 92.9 co-hosts monthly live book discussions at Phoenix Books Essex with 15% discount on featured titles.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bear Pond Books: Vermont-based independent bookstore serving similar customer segments in the same regional market. Closest geographic peer to Phoenix Books with comparable indie bookstore model, community events programming, and curated selection approach.
• Northshire Bookstore: Family-owned independent bookstore with multiple Vermont-region locations, an author event series, and a hospitality-adjacent offering (Spirited Coffee bar). Closely comparable multi-location indie model with similar community/event-driven GTM.
• The Yankee Bookshop: Vermont independent bookstore noted in source data as part of Phoenix Books' extended ownership (Woodstock location). Comparable indie bookstore with similar Vermont regional positioning and curated retail model.
• Tattered Cover Book Store: Long-established independent bookstore chain in Colorado with multi-store footprint, deep author event programming, and curated selection. Comparable independent bookstore model with similar community-anchored positioning and event-driven GTM.
• Powell's City of Books: Iconic independent bookstore with flagship superstore plus multiple locations, deep used/new inventory, and strong event programming. Comparable indie bookstore model with curated selection and community programming, though at significantly larger scale.
• Politics and Prose: Washington DC-based independent bookstore chain with multi-store footprint, renowned author events, and community programming. Closely comparable event-driven indie bookstore model with similar curated selection approach.
• The Strand Bookstore: Iconic NYC independent bookstore with curated selection, signed editions, and events. Comparable independent bookstore model with similar signed-edition and rare-book retail positioning, though single-location and urban.

Emerging players

• Bookshop.org: Online platform that routes e-commerce sales to independent bookstores, providing a digital distribution channel for indies including Phoenix Books. Comparable through shared mission of supporting independent bookstores against Amazon, with overlapping indie bookstore affiliate network.

Broad incumbents

• Barnes & Noble: Largest US bookstore chain with nationwide physical footprint, Nook e-reader platform, and BN Café concept. Comparable general bookstore retail and publishing-adjacent operations, but at scale with broader assortment and digital integration.

Others

• Libro.fm: Audiobook platform partner that distributes digital audiobooks through independent bookstores including Phoenix Books via profit sharing. Closely tied to Phoenix Books' audiobook offering and is itself an indie-aligned alternative to Audible.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PhoenixBooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/phoenixbooksvt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phoenix-books-rutland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Phoenix Books