The Rotary Club of Sarnia Bluewaterland is back with its annual used book sale but at a new location.
Event Co-Chair Dale Wilcox said they were unable to get a large enough space at Lambton Mall so John DeGroot stepped in to offer some space at his business.
The first sale at DeGroot's Nurseries, located on London Line, will be held on Friday, January 19 and Saturday, January 20.
Following sales will take place on January 26 and January 27 as well as February 9 and February 10. All book sale events will be held between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Wilcox said thousands of books were donated, some of which are quite valuable and will be up for auction. A 58 book series of Hardy Boys Detective Books will be on display and sealed bids will be accepted until the end of the sale on February 10.
Wilcox said a list will also be available at the venue to showcase all the community groups that have benefitted from proceeds generated through the fundraising initiative. The last event held in 2022 raised over $30,000.
Books that are not sold will be donated.
"We have certain individuals in the community that we will call, and they will come and get free books for places like Rebound, Ohana Landing, and some of the nursing homes," Wilcox said.
After local organizations sort through the leftover books, Wilcox said items will be donated to second-hand businesses such as Goodwill, Thrift Mission, and Value Village. Organizers were unable to obtain storage space to save a few boxes for next year's sale.
Although the sale was not held in 2023 and there was a brief hiatus during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilcox said the used book sale has been running for over 40 years.