Daedulas Bookshop- Swotanalysis

Daedalus Bookshop: SWOT/Porter5 Forces

Site Visit: January 16, 2016

Daedalus Bookshop, 123 4th Street NE, Charlottesville, Virginia

Motto: 100, 000 books – 3 Floors

Sandy, owner and Peter, store clerk

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Type of Business: Small business, LLC retailing antiquarian and vintage books

Interior environment

* Displays: the books motto is 100,000 books 3 floors; Hard and paperback books on shelves, primarily and tables.

* Lighting: 2nd (top floor) is well lit because of picture windows bringing in natural light; however, the basement and parlor floors are dim due to the lack of windows and bright lights

* Walkways and aisles – clear in parts, chaotic in others

* Customer service areas – the owner sits behind a desk in the front of the store on the parlor, which does not help patrons on other floors or in the back of the shop

* Cleanliness and safety – caution is recommended.

* Identifiable business systems, such as HR, IT, and transportation – strategically and conveniently located steps from the downtown Analysis

Interview Questions

1. Explain what the business does and how business is conducted.

a. Daedalus Bookshop has been selling antiquarian, vintage and used books for over four decades. They are also “drop box” for local customers looking to donate good reads. After 42 years of business they claim to have collected “100K good reads”

2. Describe the customers.

b. primarily local – “hippie” -- avid book readers ranging from mid-30s to mid-60s; middle class with discretionary income; white male/female with acquired taste: romance, fiction, gothic. There is never a boring day in the book store and each day seems to attract a new walk-in customer, who nine times out of ten will return.

3. What strategies does the business use?

c. Daedalus has had a presence in the community for four decades. They have a basic website which highlights...