Former Strictly By-the-Book v-p of sales Jason Zutaut is using a combination of bargain book wholesale and retail to carve a profitable path through today’s economic landscape. In May 2009, he launched Book Enterprises, a wholesale operation for books and audio CDs based in New Bedford, Mass. Now he is getting reading to nearly triple the size of his current 100,000 sq. ft. facility and to expand on his two-month old bookstore concept, The Book Shack in Kingston, Mass., with another three to five stores in 2012.
Zutaut plans to take advantage of what he regards as a more stable footing in the bargain world—the expansion of some large retailers and the re-emergence of some independents—by buying a 280,000 sq. ft. mill building in Fall River when the lease for his current facility expires. “It’s a return to the city of Fall River, which in the past has been very good to us,” he says, alluding to the fact that Fall River was home to the now defunct Strictly. “We are taking advantage of programs and incentives offered through the City’s Economic Development Agency, as well as the Small Business Administration 504 Loan program to finance the purchase.” To facilitate the move, Book Enterprises is currently holding a month-long sale of the more than 2 million children’s books, cookbooks, trade paper, mass market, hardcovers, and CDs in New Bedford.
At the same time Zutaut and his brother-in-law Erik Christensen are moving forward with The Book Shack. The store, which opened in late October in the 23,000 sq. ft. storefront in the Kingston Mall vacated by Borders, carries a mix of new books, primarily bestsellers, puzzles and games, and bargain. Holiday were better than forecasted, says Zutaut. “My plans are to develop The Book Shack concept further going into 2012 and add more new books.” For now, Zutaut and Christensen plan to look for vacancies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, within a fifty-mile radius of the new Book Enterprises warehouse.
Over the past 12 months Zutaut has also opened several bargain stores under the Value Booksellers name, both pop-up stores and a seasonal store on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
