Poor Richard’s
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersColorado Springs, Colorado, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Poor Richard’s does
Poor Richard's Downtown is a privately held, multi-concept local business operating since 1975 from a single downtown Colorado Springs location at 320-324 1/2 North Tejon Street. The property houses four co-located businesses under one roof: Poor Richard's Restaurant (a full-service pizzeria offering New York style pizza with vegan options, sandwiches, salads, and kids menu items via dine-in, pickup, and delivery), Poor Richard's Books & Gifts (a new and used bookstore stocking 150+ used-book categories plus fair-trade gifts, locally made jewelry, handcrafted artwork, and home decor), Little Richard's Toy Store (an award-winning retailer of classic, educational, and natural-wood toys since 1995), and Rico's Café and Wine Bar (organic coffee, 30+ loose-leaf teas, seasonal wines, craft beers, and a venue for live music, trivia, and open mic nights).
The business makes money primarily through one-time retail and food-service transactions at the single storefront, supplemented by catering for private events (birthdays, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, holiday parties), private event-space rentals on the back patio, used-book buyback, and online book sales via Bookshop.org. There is no technology platform or proprietary software product; the underlying technology stack consists of standard third-party tools — Order Online for food ordering and delivery, Flodesk for the email newsletter, Bookshop.org for online book sales, and Five Stars for SMS-based loyalty. Distribution is omnichannel but heavily concentrated in the physical location, with a reservation system for Rico's café, online ordering for the restaurant, and in-store or phone-based pickup orders for the bookstore.
The customer base is individual consumers in the Colorado Springs metro area, segmented into local community members, families with children, book lovers and gift shoppers, adults seeking entertainment, and event hosts/party planners. Marketing is community-led, relying on organic Facebook and Instagram, the email newsletter, local events (First Friday Art Walks, live music, trivia, spoken word open mic), and word-of-mouth. The business was founded in 1975 by Richard Skorman and Patricia Seator and transitioned in 2024 to new local stewardship led by Sarah and other longtime Colorado Springs residents. Revenue, ownership structure beyond the named stewards, and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed.
Poor Richard’s firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Poor Richard’s
- Legal name
- Poor Richard's Downtown
- Website
- https://poorrichardsdowntown.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Poor Richard’s industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Restaurant and Retail (multi-concept hospitality and retail)
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro industry
- Neighborhood & Sports BarsTravel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Bars, Pubs & Nightlife VenuesIndependent Neighborhood Cafes
Keywords
Where Poor Richard’s is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Poor Richard’s business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Restaurant/Pizzeria Sales: Full-service restaurant offering New York style pizza, sandwiches, salads, and vegan options. Operates with dine-in, pickup, and delivery options. Sunday-Thursday 11am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-9pm.
- Bookstore Sales: New and used bookstore specializing in good-condition used books across 150+ categories, Colorado trail guides, local maps, and wildlife/flora books. Also offers unique fair-trade gifts and locally made jewelry. Sunday-Thursday 9am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 9am-9pm.
- Toy Store Sales: Little Richard's Toy Store selling classic, whimsical, and educational toys, games, puzzles, dress-up costumes, art and science kits. Voted Best Toy Store in numerous Colorado Springs Best Of awards. Sunday 11am-6pm, Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm.
- Café and Wine Bar Sales: Rico's Café and Wine Bar offering organic European-drip style coffee, espresso, 30+ loose-leaf teas, gourmet iced tea bar, wine (seasonally changing), craft beers, hard cider, and gluten-free beer options. Live music events and team trivia nights. Sunday-Thursday 9am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 9am-9pm.
- Catering Services: Catering for private events including birthday parties, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, and holiday parties. Offers customized menus and exceptional service tailored to events.
- Used Book Buyback: Poor Richard's Bookstore buys back used books. Buyback hours: 10am-4pm daily (call ahead for details).
- Event Space Rental: Private event spaces available for hosting parties and gatherings. Stylish back patio and private event spaces for special occasions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Poor Richard’s product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Poor Richard's Downtown is a single-location, four-in-one community establishment in Colorado Springs that sells New York-style pizza and dine-in restaurant food, new and used books across 150+ categories plus fair-trade gifts, classic and educational toys, and specialty coffee/tea plus wine and craft beer. The venue also provides catering and private event hosting, complemented by recurring community programming such as live music, trivia nights, art walks, and spoken-word open mics.
Product overview
Poor Richard's Downtown is a multi-concept establishment combining four businesses under one roof: Poor Richard's Restaurant (pizzeria serving New York style pizza with vegan options), Poor Richard's Books & Gifts (new and used bookstore with fair-trade gifts), Little Richard's Toy Store (award-winning toy retailer), and Rico's Café and Wine Bar (specialty coffee, tea, wine, and live entertainment venue). The venue also offers catering services, private event hosting, and hosts various community events including trivia, live music, and art walks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Poor Richard's Restaurant Full-service restaurant offering New York-style pizza (including vegan options), pita plates, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and a kids menu. Serves dine-in customers and supports online ordering for pickup and delivery.
- Poor Richard's Books & Gifts New and used bookstore founded in 1975 offering good-condition used books across more than 150 categories, classics, Colorado trail guides, local maps, and wildlife/flora books, alongside unique fair-trade gifts and locally made jewelry, handcrafted artwork, home decor, and body care products. Also buys back used books.
- Little Richard's Toy Store Independent toy store selling classic, whimsical, and educational toys, games, puzzles, hand puppets, dress-up costumes, art and science kits, kids' musical instruments, natural wood and organic cotton toys, and stocking stuffers under $10. Voted Best Toy Store in Colorado Springs Best Of awards since 1995.
- Rico's Café and Wine Bar Café and wine bar serving organic locally roasted European-drip coffee, espresso drinks, more than 30 loose-leaf teas (organic and fair-trade), a gourmet iced tea bar, seasonal wine selections, craft beers, hard cider, and gluten-free beer. Hosts live music, team trivia nights, spoken-word open mic, and art shows.
- Catering Services Catering service for private events including birthday parties, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, and holiday parties, with customized menus and event-tailored service.
- Private Event Space Rental Rental of private event spaces including a stylish back patio for parties, birthdays, reunions, rehearsal dinners, corporate events, and holiday gatherings, with customized menus and on-site service.
- Used Book Buyback Service in which Poor Richard's Books & Gifts purchases used books from customers during dedicated buyback hours.
Companies that use Poor Richard’s
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Poor Richard’s technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Poor Richard’s partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Poor Richard’s competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Books Are Magic: Brooklyn-based independent bookstore with a café and active events calendar. Mirrors Poor Richard's combination of book retail, food/beverage, and recurring community programming.
- Powell's Books: Portland, Oregon-based independent bookstore with an in-store café. Largest independent bookstore in the US, combining retail books with food/beverage and a strong community/events focus, mirroring Poor Richard's book + café combination and destination status.
- Elliott Bay Book Company: Seattle-based independent bookstore with a built-in café and extensive author-event programming. Comparable to Poor Richard's in combining books, food/beverage, and recurring community events under one roof.
- The Strand Bookstore: Iconic NYC independent bookstore with a strong events calendar and rare/used book inventory. Comparable to Poor Richard's Books & Gifts in specializing in curated and used book inventory with destination appeal.
- Square Books: Oxford, Mississippi-based independent bookstore with a strong community events program and adjacent cafés. Closely comparable to Poor Richard's in combining an independent bookstore with community event programming in a small/mid-sized market.
- McNally Jackson Books: New York City-based independent bookstore with in-store cafés and frequent events. Combines book retail with food/beverage and community programming on a single site, paralleling Poor Richard's multi-concept footprint.
Regional players
- Boulder Book Store: Boulder, Colorado-based independent bookstore. Comparable independent bookstore operator serving the same front-range Colorado market, sharing the regional customer base and independent-retail positioning with Poor Richard's.
- Tattered Cover Book Store: Denver, Colorado-based independent bookstore with in-store cafés and a strong community programming calendar. Operates in the same Colorado/front-range regional market as Poor Richard's with comparable independent bookstore + café model.
- Maria's Bookshop: Durango, Colorado-based independent bookstore. Comparable regional independent bookstore operator within Colorado, sharing the small-market, community-focused retail model with Poor Richard's.
- Explore Booksellers: Aspen, Colorado-based independent bookstore with curated events and community programming. Comparable Colorado independent bookstore serving a similar small-market, community-oriented retail environment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Poor Richard’s social profiles
Digital presencePoor Richard’s financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Poor Richard’s leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Poor Richard’s subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Poor Richard’s funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Poor Richard’s M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Poor Richard’s
What does Poor Richard’s do?
Poor Richard's Downtown is a single-location, four-in-one community establishment in Colorado Springs that sells New York-style pizza and dine-in restaurant food, new and used books across 150+ categories plus fair-trade gifts, classic and educational toys, and specialty coffee/tea plus wine and craft beer. The venue also provides catering and private event hosting, complemented by recurring community programming such as live music, trivia nights, art walks, and spoken-word open mics.
Is Poor Richard’s a public or private company?
Poor Richard’s is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Poor Richard’s founded?
Poor Richard’s was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Poor Richard’s based?
Poor Richard’s is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the North America region.
How does Poor Richard’s make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Restaurant/Pizzeria Sales are the primary driver. The others are bookstore Sales, toy Store Sales, café and Wine Bar Sales, catering Services, used Book Buyback and event Space Rental.
Who are Poor Richard’s's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Books Are Magic, Powell's Books, Elliott Bay Book Company, The Strand Bookstore, Square Books and McNally Jackson Books. Regional players are Boulder Book Store, Tattered Cover Book Store, Maria's Bookshop and Explore Booksellers.
Does Poor Richard’s have an API?
No public API is recorded for Poor Richard’s.
What industry is Poor Richard’s in?
Poor Richard’s's product category is Independent Restaurant and Retail (multi-concept hospitality and retail). Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAA, Neighborhood & Sports Bars, with a secondary code of THAFADAC, Independent Neighborhood Cafes. Its NAICS code is 7224 and its SIC code is 5810.