Inside, see photos of beginning, middle and end of the sale.
June 12, 2009
by Shobha Vanchiswar
What a sale it was! In a year of economic uncertainty and diminishing membership support, the Friends of the Chappaqua Library had no idea what to expect from our annual book sale. About the only thing we were sure of was the dependable volunteer spirit that is alive and well in our town. That spirit goes a long way. In fact, it works miracles.
We received an astonishing number of book donations. Residents speculated that this might have been because some in our community have had to down-size or move away; others posited that people may just be jettisoning possessions so that they can move quickly once the market picks up. Whatever the reasons, we are grateful for their thoughtfulness in saving the books for the sale.
Over 30,000 books must have come in over the two-day donation period. Truly, there were several times when we wondered if all the books would get sorted. And that’s when the fabulous team of about 80 volunteers worked miracles. The job got done well in time for the Member’s Preview night on Wednesday, June 3. I salute each of the volunteers. I am in awe of them.
A record year for subscriptions and sales
It was gratifying to see the crowd build up outside the library theater in anticipation of the preview. Only a town such as this could have so many book lovers. They came, they browsed, they purchased. And so it went for all the sale days. We raised over $2000 in membership subscriptions alone. From book sales we made over $17,000! It has been a record year.
Enough books were leftover for a second sale but that, of course, was not possible. Between the many charities that came to take books and residents arriving in good numbers for the free books on the last day, eventually nothing remained. We also set aside many books for our troops. As a result, no books had to be tossed. How wonderful is that! The benefits of this sale are felt far and wide.
It was so good to hear how much this event is appreciated. The only complaint we received from some very few was that on preview night, the locals had to “compete” with the book sellers. We on the Friends board do understand that we who so love the library are tempted to feel a bit territorial when it comes to our amazing community project, but one must step back to see the big picture.
The primary goal is to raise as much money as possible for the library. The book sellers contribute about a third of that money, all in that first hectic scramble on preview night. Secondly, they join the Friends like everyone else and are therefore entitled to attend preview night. Finally, they, like everyone else, serve a purpose in the book market. Surely we can be gracious and understanding about that? In truth, from observing preview nights over many years, there is only a certain amount of overlap in the books that are sought. And there are also so many books that everyone can find what they want. For the monumental work the volunteers do in order to make the sale happen, the only thing that satisfies is that our library should benefit as much as possible.
Local restaurants and food and wine retailers donate provisions for a thank you party
Finally, as a special thank you to the volunteers, ten food and beverage related businesses in Chappaqua contributed generously for a wonderful party. They were Chappaqua Wines & Spirits, Crabtree’s Kittle House, Don Emilio at Lobo Café, Gail Patrick’s Café, Hilltop Wines, Lange’s Little Store, Pizza Station, Spoon Restaurant, Susan Lawrence and Village Market. This book sale brings out the best in community spirit. Our local businesses are supporting us so let us in turn support them. We are indeed very blessed to live in this great town. Long live the book sale.
On behalf of the Friends of the Chappaqua Library, I thank each and every one of you for supporting the book sale and making it such a success. See you next year!
Shobha Vanchiswar is the president of the Friends of the Chappaqua Library.
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