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It’s been 10 years of books, books and more books for Book Chalet |
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Friday, 04 September 2009 |
By Catherine Billey
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
 Mammoth Times Photo/Catherine Billey Ellie Randol, who moved to Mammoth in 1980 with her late husband “Doc” Randol, was a primary organizer of the Book Chalet 10 years ago and continues to be involved in sorting the books that come in and organizing the two giant book sales every year.
Run by Friends of the Library, a 501(c) (3) non profit group, the used book store is staffed by 35 enthusiastic volunteers who welcome contributions. And for every 10 books donated, a free one awaits.
When Friends of the Library opened the used book store in May 1999, they set out to sell books in excellent condition carefully chosen from donations. Categories continue to include fiction (modern and classic), various types of non-fiction such as history, biography, hobbies, art, cooking and travel.
Chair Carol Benefiel described the selection as “eclectic” and that the best donations come from people who decide to clear out books they know they either won’t ever read or re-read.
“Everything goes back to the library and goes to new books, new programs – there’s just a ton of things,” she said. “We actually had money go to help build the library, as well.”
Though it was a challenge 10 years ago to spread the word about the new used bookstore – how it worked and who it benefited – today, the Book Chalet has regulars.
Benefiel said the store enjoyed record numbers of book buyers this summer – almost 1,000 this July – bringing in the highest earnings yet at over $16,000 so far this year.
“It was so much above what we normally have. There’s a lot of people in town right now, because of camping or whatever, and they’re looking for bargains in books. That’s why they come to us, because we do have the best prices.”
Summer bookends
Not all donations wind up on the Book Chalet’s shelves, however. Some – such as oversize coffee table books and rare and vintage books – are displayed solely at the two giant book sales organized by Friends of the Library twice a year over the Memorial Day and Labor Day holiday weekends – bookends to the summer, so to speak.
“We get some gorgeous coffee table books,” said Ellie Randol, who has volunteered for Friends of the Library since 1985 and done sorting for the book store since it opened.
“But because they’re so huge, they don’t sell at the Book Chalet and go out on our special-price tables at the book sales.”
Since Randol has been organizing the holiday book sales for years, she was a natural choice to get the book store off the ground 10 years ago. She continues to do all the sorting of donations.
“The first thing I do is decide whether our local library would like something for their collection. Then I sort and look for stuff for the Book Chalet,” she explained. “I try not to send anything over there that’s published before 2000.”
Books that have been on the shelves for too long go back to her and some are integrated into the holiday weekend sales.
What about unexpected treasures? When the Book Chalet first organized in 1999, a first edition of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand was discovered in a box of very old books at the library. That eventually sold on eBay for $280 to a Pittsburgh collector.
“We have a committee called the vintage committee, and they go online,” Randol said. “If they find something that’s worth $25 or more, they put it online. If it’s less than $25 it goes to the used book sales, not the book store.”
Randol adds a dollar to the price of a recent first edition. “For example, if I get a book that’s $5 and I see it’s a first edition, I make it $6.”
So shelves at the Book Chalet will never be cluttered with too many books, although book lovers know that a used book store can never have too many.
Though Randol was a primary organizer of the bookstore 10 years ago, she said numerous local volunteers spent hours of their time building shelves, sorting and stocking books and handling finances to create something that Mammoth’s readers had suggested for years.
By September of 1999, the book store had paid all of its setup and permit costs and was able to cover its ongoing costs.
“Our aim is to earn $1,500 every month, over and above our expenses,” wrote Ann-Louise Mims in a library newsletter that year.
“That was dreaming,” Randol says today. “It took a long, long time for us to make anything. This past year has been very good to us.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 11 September 2009 )
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