The Friends of the Library are taking their semi-annual book sales and making them a permanent part of Main Street all year long.
“The Friends of the Library, through the generous support of Ray Fisher, were able to have the store at a reasonable rate we could afford,” Friend of the Library Dianne Gerson said. The Friends have dreamed for some time of opening a bookstore.
They’ve been talking about it for about the past year, Gerson said. The opportunity came to rent store space came up, and the Friends were setting up shop rather quickly.
The new store opens on Feb. 19. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
The Friends have thousands of books for sale at the store. They will be sorted and priced based on condition and newness of the boo.
Volunteers will staff the store, Gerson said. The Friends need 16 volunteers, two per day, each volunteering twice a month, to cover the store. The store has enough volunteers to operate the store. Friend of the Library Gretchen Schaleger will manage the store.
The Friends will always be looking for book donations and volunteers, Gerson said. Donations can be dropped off at the store during hours or at the Sweet Home Public Library when the store is closed.
“We are hoping to have a place for the community to display their wares,” Gerson said. That can range from calligraphy and artwork to various crafts.
Beyond that, the Friends would also like to see the store become a place for cultural exchange, with furniture and a puzzle or chess board up front where patrons can hang out and talk. The store may offer a paperback exchange later.
“We want it to be something that offers a little culture to the community,” Gerson said.
The Friends of the Library is a nonprofit group organized to raise money to help the library.
The Friends have saved $10,000 to help pay for expanding the building in the future.
Their annual budget is about $5,000, with $1,000 saved for the expansion and $4,000 for purchasing books, children’s programs, equipment and supplies.
Annual membership in the Friends of the Library will be available at the store opening day. Persons can join anytime after that. Membership costs $5. Sponsorship costs $25.
The store may offer special discounts and promotions to members.
“We’re hoping we’ll double the bottom line,” Gerson said of the new store. “We’ve had so much support, and everybody’s excited about it. We want the community to be excited about it. My gut feeling says it’ll fly. It really will.”