Some people used to say that the Book Bag Shop in the Saratoga Springs Public Library was one of the best-kept secrets. However, since it opened in 1995, it has doubled in sales, and also in the number of customers who now visit the store.
The shop now sells used books for adults and children, CDs, puzzles, cassettes, records, videotapes, and most items that are donated to the store. Eighty-five percent of the items in the store are donated and about 15 percent are library discards.
The shop is operated by the Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library, the non-profit organization that raises money and donates it to the library. Thirty volunteers help sort, price, and clean donations, stock the shelves, and run the shop which is open seven days a week for a total of 56 hours.
Books range in price from 10 cents for some paperbacks and children's books to a book from the "Best Buys" shelf that is a current best-seller and in "mint condition". The average price is about $1.50.
The 460 square foot shop also sells new books by local authors, book bags, and custom-made Friends' T-Shirts.
The library gratefully accepts book donations. Because of the large volume we receive, however, some guidelines are in order: