The Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library Book Shop will leave the downtown library for a bigger space in Scio Twp. this summer.
The library purchased the warehouse at 265 Parkland principally to house archives and acquisitions and to host large events. But the front section “is being converted into the new Friends Book Shop, so our new space will very much still feel like a bookshop,” emails Friends executive director Rachel Pastiva.
“Because we are always in the process of receiving new materials, many of our most popular sections have a great deal of back stock that never make it to the shelves,” she explains. “Expanding our bookshop at the new location will allow all materials to be available to our customers, which will allow us to raise even more funds to donate to the library.” Last year, the Friends donated $25,000 toward the library’s summer games and other special projects. This year they hope to hit $36,000.
The new space will be more than twice as large–2,000 instead of 900 square feet–so Pastiva expects inventory to at least double. It has free parking and is on a bus line, so she hopes to retain their current supporters while gaining new ones–among them customers shopping the Kiwanis Thrift Sale, which left downtown for nearby Staebler Rd. in 2017.
They’re hoping to complete construction in June. The shop will be open only on Saturdays to start but will have fresh stock every week. Initially, donations will be accepted next to the parking lot, but “the library is considering installing a donation drop-off box so that donors can drop off materials whenever is most convenient for them,” Pastiva writes.
“The biggest downside of our move is not being a part of the Downtown Library any longer,” she adds. “But patrons will still be able to purchase books Downtown, as we will be maintaining a selection of our higher quality books on Friends Shelves Downtown like we provide at all library branches. There will also still be carts of free books available Downtown.”
