Crowds jam first night of Little City book fair
Before the sale opened Friday, the line of people waiting to attend stretched around the tent.
Within the first half-hour, collectors, resellers and book lovers had flocked into the Little City Foundation Used Book Sale held at Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie. The sale, the largest of its kind in the state, boasts an estimated 200,000 books this year, up from last year's 125,000.
Rick Johnson, director of communications for the event's sponsor, Palatine-based, nonprofit Little City Foundation, said the sale is so big it draws people from all over the country. On opening night alone, he said, the sale typically sees about 1,000 people.
"Normally agencies like us have one-day events, like golf outings and dinners, and they're easier to prepare," Johnson said. "But this is literally a three-week event -- a week to prepare, 10 days for the event and two or three days to tear it all down."
The proceeds from the sale will go to Little City, which will help people with mental and developmental disabilities live their lives, said Shawn E. Jeffers, executive director of the Little City Foundation.
"People are not just buying books but they're supporting Little City," Jeffers said. "If you love books and you love helping a charity, this is the place to be."
The books, donated throughout the year, went quickly. While some customers carried two or three, others had filled shopping carts. Resellers carried electronic scanners and checked books one by one to see if there were requests for them online.
Pat Sanpitak of Highland Park, who carried a handful of books, said the sale's wide variety was what drew his family.
"My daughter looks for the comic books, my wife the mystery books and I look for physics books," Sanpitak said.
For others, like Danny Teinowitz of Chicago, the combination of books and charity keeps them coming back. The Brandeis Women's Auxiliary had run the sale for 48 years before turning it over to Little City last year.
Teinowitz, a Glencoe native, said he'd attended the sale when it had been sponsored by the auxiliary and was impressed with how smoothly the Little City Foundation had kept it running.
"I have great admiration and respect for Little City and its programs," said Teinowitz, who had a cart full of books. "I'm very happy to be able to contribute in the little way I can by being here at the book sale."
The sale's opening night requested a $10 donation for entry, but the rest of the sale, which will continue until June 15, will be free.
The event will also include children's activities and appearances by local authors and a comic book expert.