Crowds clamor for classics at revived Mount Prospect Holiday Book Sale
Not only were more than 50 people waiting to get in before the doors opened at 10 a.m., but books were flying off the shelves during a packed five hour Friends of the Mount Prospect Public Library Holiday Book Sale Saturday, Nov. 19, at the library.
"Today's sale was amazing. When we set up for the book sale the night before we had 20 adult bins full of holiday books and nine bins of children's books," Friends of the Mount Prospect Public Library Board President Pat Klawitter said Saturday after the sale. "Now we only have five adult bins of books left and three children's bins. Based on the initial sales count this may have been our best holiday book sale ever."
This was the first Friends' Holiday Book Sale since 2019, due to COVID closures.
The Friends of the Mount Prospect Public Library are made up of volunteers who take in book donations (along with CDs, DVDs, vinyl, puzzles and more), price them, set up and work the sales, then pack them all up and prepare for the next sale.
"We had a steady stream of customers of all ages buying books, movies, CDs, and more," Klawitter said. "When one gentleman bought a pre-1986 Bible, he told me he had been looking for one for years and was extremely happy. He said it was a bargain at $10."
"One woman told me 'I can buy so many more books for my children,'" Klawitter said. "And another said her young daughter had seen all the movies on one subject and now wanted to read all the books. So, they found and bought all of them."
All types of books sold, volunteers said, including Christmas classics, Lego books (more than 25 were sold, the entire stock), graphic teen books, "Little House on the Prairie" book sets, and a variety of novels. A whole skid of unopened DVDs featuring a wide range of movies sold. The prices for all the products offered ranged from 50 cents to $40 with most averaging about two to three dollars apiece at the sale.
"It was a lot of fun. It is always great to see so many people buying books and supporting the library, especially on a frigid day like this," Klawitter said.
The next Friends' Winter Book Sale is slated from Jan 14-15, 2023. However, people can still purchase books and DVDs from two self-service trolleys at the library- the children's trolley on the first floor by the youth service desk, and the adult trolley on the second floor at the top of the stairs by the elevator. All books are individually priced. One just puts their payment in the payment box next to the trolley.
Tax-deductible donations of books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles and vinyl records can be dropped off in the black bins provided at the library's indoor Friends Room door on the lower level of the garage.
"Another hot seller was the 'Night Before Christmas,'" Klawitter said. "I really enjoyed watching all the children find books, many of them hugging them all the way through the sales process and heading home."
And to all a good read!
For more information go to https://friendsofmppl.mailerpage.com.