Life & Work with Dan Danbom

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Danbom. He and his team share their story with us below:

Printed Page Bookshop is a 13-year-old co-op composed of 10 booksellers. It is co-owned by John Frantzen and Dan Danbom. John came to bookselling after a career in printing and publishing. Dan was in corporate communication and frequently freelanced as a book reviewer and feature writer.

Printed Page opened amid the introduction of the Kindle. Everyone was writing obituaries for brick-and-mortar used bookstores. But Printed Page succeeded and thrived because it is a relationship-based haven for book lovers to share and learn about books. It offers free classes about books and book collecting and publishes a series of chapbooks about the book trade and the people who define it.

Printed Page is now the highest-rated bookstore in Denver, offering a variety of books for any budget in a warm, inviting, 19th-century house. Committed to its community, Printed Page stocks libraries in several facilities for the homeless and people coming off homelessness and provides children’s books to a foodbank that delivers to Denver’s hungry.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Printed Page opened during a recession, and when road construction made it a challenge for customers to even find the. It started on a shoestring, but gradually built a loyal customer base and became a destination not only for locals but also for book lovers visiting Denver. It overcame the challenges posed by online booksellers by making visitors feel welcome and appreciated.

Over the years, the store built a large customer mailing list and sends each customer a lively newsletter every month. Five of the store’s staff members are members of the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Assn., and one is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Assn. of America. All follow the associations’ high ethical standards.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We find a lot of ways to engage with our customers. A new customer often will receive a handwritten thank you note after the first visit. A newsletter about books and book people is created monthly and sent to our customers through email. Often, we’ll host after-hours events for bibliophiles to meet and mingle. And we offer classes in book collecting that provide information not always easily found. Then there’s our stock.

Visitors are struck by the quality and care we put into our inventory, and by the reasonable prices. Many spend hours browsing and admiring our books. All of this has combined to make Printed Page the highest-rated used bookstore in Colorado.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Bonnie, my dog!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.printedpagebookshop.com
• Facebook: @Printed Page Bookshop

Image Credits
Bob Keyser