There are advantages to growing, and there are disadvantages.
The Friends of the Guelph Public Library’s annual book sale has grown in each of its ten years of existence, raising impressive and ever-increasing amounts of money for the library.
But the disadvantage of that growth has become a recurring theme: It is difficult each year to find a space big enough - and one that is rent-free - to host an event that has grown to 110,000 books and related items, attracts over 8,000 visitors, many from out of the country, and generates revenues of over $100,000.
“I am close to that state of quiet desperation I get into every year around this time,” said Virginia Gillham, chair of Friends of the Guelph Public Library.
The search is on again for a suitable space to hold all the books. It is not an easy one, nor is it going very well, Gillham said.
In previous years, a generous property owner would donate a space for temporary use. Usually three months is required to house and sort the donated books and items, and hold the event over three days. The event is a labour of love carried out by some 200 volunteers, and broadly supported in the Guelph and area by book lovers.
As the event has grown, so too has the need for a larger space. So far this year, a call out to property owners has not yielded any offers, and time is of the essence.
“I’ve approached all the major real estate owners in the city,” Gillham said. “We have to have a space by the end of June.”
There are a number of empty industrial buildings in the city, she added, but the owners are reluctant to lend them out for three months, wanting instead to leave their options open in case a long-term occupant comes forward.
The book sale needs a minimum of 20,000 square feet to comfortably operate. The idea of holding it in two or three smaller venues is not feasible, Gillham said, because large book dealers from across Canada and the U.S. attend the event each year, and one big event is what attracts them.
The former White Rose location on Edinburgh Road, used as a venue in 2014, is in the process of demolition, while the 2015 site on Speedvale Avenue, the old location of the Home Hardware, is in the midst of being sold.
“Growing has been our own worst enemy,” Gillham said.
Anyone with information or offers related to a suitable space for the sale can contact Gillham at [email protected], or call her at 519-821-5874.
Last year the sale cleared just over $110,500 after roughly $9,000 in expenses. In 2007, it made just under $8,300.
In total, it has generated $430,000 towards the construction of a new downtown library. Funds have also supported art purchases, matching grants, and the purchase of specialized audio visual equipment.
