Pandemonium Booksellers and Café moves to new location

WASILLA — It may not be pandemonium, but the local literary scene is due for a small shake-up.

One of the Valley’s small business success stories is beginning a new chapter next month when Pandemonium Booksellers and Café moves from its bustling location near The Home Depot to a more central Wasilla location.

The locally owned bookstore and eatery saw its last day of business at its current location on Friday, and will re-open July 5 at 2201 Palmer-Wasilla Highway, just east of the Parks Highway in the building that housed the former Shalom Christian Bookstore.

It’s a move that allows Pandemonium, which opened three years ago, to re-focus its energy on being a mom-and-pop bookseller that also gives back to the community, said Shannon Cullip, who owns the store with husband, Leny.

“All in all, as a business, we’re feeling quite good about doing this change,” she said. “It puts together what we’ve learned over the past three years and what we’ve got to be.”

What the Cullips have learned, she said, is that more isn’t always better. Although Pandemonium’s original location was great, at 6,000 square feet, it was just too large. Along with the fast expansion of the food side of the business, a lot of energy was being taken away from being able to do other things in the community. That is exacerbated by a large rent payment.

In contrast, Cullip said, the new location is about a third the size, and while the café will still be an important part of the business, it will be more like a coffee shop rather than a full-service eatery.

“We’re downsizing that to more of a coffee shop than a restaurant,” she said. “Our theme (on the book side) is going to be a lot more rotation of inventory. Everyday’s a book fair. We’ll rotate the books quite often. Basically, 80 percent of our book sales are orders, so why have all this shelf space? … It’s a beautiful spot, but too much was really going back to the landlord.”

Some may view the move to a smaller space as a sign Pandemonium isn’t doing well, but that’s not the case, Cullip said.

“Business has really been quite good,” she said. “We really like those outside events where we bring these books to you. People love a book fair. We haven’t focused on the new releases, because they can go get that everywhere else. We have a real strong Alaska section, or maybe someone’s looking for something that’s out of print.”

The move is also a culmination of what the Cullips have learned in their first three years in business, she said. Although they try to be active in the community, attending events and hosting literacy events in schools from Fairbanks to Anchorage, the couple can do more of that with a lower rent payment, she said.

“We’ve learned a lot of things,” she said. “I learned that being a bookseller is a little like being a hairdresser or a bartender. You share with people’s lives about why they want a book or what they liked about a book.”

The Cullips, who also own and operate Pioneer Ridge Bed and Breakfast, have also learned “that running a café is all-consuming,” Shannon Cullip said.

While it’s been great that the café has been popular, it also takes away from the literary side of things.

“We want to focus on the bookstore and on the outreach programs and the literacy programs in the schools,” she said. “We’re in all the schools from Fairbanks through Anchorage, hitting 15 schools a day, so we hit them all at least once a month. Then we also do large book fairs.”

Cullip said since announcing the move, her loyal customers have been supportive, saying they’ll seek Pandemonium out at its new location.

“That’s the message I’m getting,” she said. “You have a loyal following and others say, ‘Oh good, you’re closer to me now.’ It’s been a positive reaction for the most part.”

For more information about Pandemonium Booksellers, visit wix.com/pandemoniumalaska/pandemonium.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.