Library Friends investigate used bookstore space

Posted 3/31/20

by Stan Cutler How about a little good news? A local realtor and library enthusiast has offered the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library the opportunity to occupy a vacant property where we could …

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Library Friends investigate used bookstore space

Posted

by Stan Cutler

How about a little good news? A local realtor and library enthusiast has offered the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library the opportunity to occupy a vacant property where we could operate a used book store. The proceeds would support library programs and improvements. We are in the process of exploring the feasibility. The space, former law offices on the ground floor of a three-story house, has real potential to be a cozy neighborhood destination for book buyers. Since Borders closed 10 years ago, Chestnut Hill has been without one.

For many years, we sold used books at the library, but we had to suspend the service last fall when Renee Polsky, the driving force behind the Monday afternoon book sale, passed away. Her extraordinary dedication and energy are sorely missed, particularly by the many local folks who had made the book sales part of their weekly routine. Two, we had to stop accepting donated books. As we reported in this space a couple of months ago, the stream of books donated by neighbors was continuous and exceeded our limited space. We fully expect to be able to stock a diversified store with your overflow in fairly short order.

But we’re not ready for that. We have yet to determine the cost of converting the space to our needs. To begin with, we don’t know how much it will cost to install proper lighting and dozens of shelves. We would prefer to use local talent to accomplish these tasks. If you are a qualified electrician or carpenter, we would like you to inspect the space and offer your ideas and a cost estimate. If you are interested, please send a brief note with your qualifications to president@chestnuthilllibraryfriends.org .

 I gotta say, we’re pretty excited.

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