Bookstore bargains benefits

By Gracie Hart
Review Staff Writer

Published: August 7, 2008

Bookworms can find a welcome home at the Friends of the Library Bookstore, located on Chapman Street in the Town of Orange.  Readers can find books priced as little as a few cents up to a few dollars, and real bargain searchers can take advantage of free books.
“We are very user-friendly,“ said Philip Cooke, who maintains the bookstore.  “Some smaller books in the children’s section are not even 25 cents.“
While the Friends of the Library organization has been in Orange for more than 50 years, the bookstore itself has been open 13.  The books used to be housed at the former Orange Review location and were sold only twice a year once organization members hauled them out into the street.  Soon, Cooke decided to open the bookstore whenever he was in the building working at his travel agency. 
“Back then, there were no set hours,“ said Cooke.  “I would sometimes open at seven in the morning and stay open until seven at night.“
Once the store moved across the street, many books had to be sold in a large sell to allow for the smaller space constraints of the new location.  Even now, the store often sees overflow books in boxes taking up every available space.
“[We] can’t put up Reader’s Digest or magazines because of space [restraints],“ said Cooke.  “We also can’t take old textbooks.“
Many books are given away instead of sold.  Books are given by the store to teachers, home schoolers, jail systems, social services, the health department and the recreation department.
“We do our best to pass books on to places that they’ll be used,“ said Cooke.
He added that books were also given to two groups of children with the Boys and Girls Club organization who spent time handpicking out the books that they wanted to read.
Prices are always negotiable at the bookstore and may be reduced lower in the future.
“Because of the volunteer structure of the store, we are toying with the idea of letting people pay what they wish as opposed to set fees,“ said Cooke. 
Whatever the price retrieved for a book, the bookstore still makes a profit because all of the books within the store are either donated from the general population or are old copies of library books.  All the profits then go to help the local library.
“The store benefits the library primarily,“ said Cooke.  “We also support the children’s reading program, raise money for new computers and help other worthy organizations.“
The bookstore recently gave away books at the Orange County Fair to gain publicity and is holding a large book sale at the Orange Fairgrounds Aug. 4-9.  The sale will benefit the Orange County Library and the Orange Volunteer Fire Department.