Since my little ones came along I am always on the lookout for deals on everything from clothing to toys including books. Our home library has grown over the years as I have picked up books gently used and even brand new books cheap at resale stores, thrift stores, garage sales, and clearance racks. I have to admit I haven’t had the best luck in finding books in good shape since moving to Dayton but it all changed the first time I decided to check out One Dollar Book Swap.
Just north of the downtown area and right off 75 and Stanley, it doesn’t look like much from the outside (or on the inside for that matter). It doesn’t matter though because One Dollar book Swap grew out of a local business that collected books and other related materials for recycling. The owner couldn’t help but notice how many books were still in great reading shape so he started an online store. From there he had so many books and other media that he decided to open his doors locally. One Dollar Book Swap is a warehouse that has racks and racks, rows an rows, of books, DVD’s, and CD’s from all genres and for all ages for just $1 a piece. It started on select Fridays and weekends less than a year ago and now One Dollar Book Swap is open every Friday-Sunday.
There are two highlights for me. The first being that what used to be a small “kid’s” room of children’s books has expanded to a whole area of the warehouse with single books, DVD’s, and bundles of books put together by reader level, 10 for $5. They even have chairs for kids and you can often find them in use with a child who has a stack of books on either side of them. There is also a rack, filled two rows deep on both sides, with only Dr. Seuss books. The second, and biggest draw for me, is the bulk children’s books bin area – insert light beam breaking through clouds and cue chorus of angels. For $10, you fill a standard plastic grocery bag with as many books from the bins you can fit in. On my first trip, I found enough books to donate approx. 10 to each of my daughters daycare rooms and still add at least 20 to our home library. This last time, I had 35 books with room to spare; I found a few board books to add to the bin on the car, more to add to the library, and a handful to send to my daughters class. Now, it will always be hit or miss since the stock will always be different and it depends what you are looking for – I ended up going late in the day on the day of a promotion where everyone got a free book so I think pickings were a little slim by the time I got there.
Not only do they offer great prices on books, the staff is warm and friendly, and they are very generous in the community, too. Pledging to donate $1 million worth of books through the Miami Valley, they have given pallets of books to organizations like Hannah’s Treasure Chest and local schools. The have a Box of Books program that allows anyone to order a box of at least 60 children’s books for $40 with free shipping. If you’ve been decluttering and have books (including those old college textbooks collecting dust on the shelves) you could get $1 in store credit for every 2 qualifying books to bring to “swap” (you’d be lucky to get more than $.25 for a book at a yard sale). That is how I actually paid $8 for the bag of 35 books I picked up. You can also sign up for a volunteer shift to earn credit. Every 3 hour shift gets you $30 in store credit to use, donate to a school or organization, or donate to the featured group of the month making this a great way for a school or charity to restock classrooms or get books to give to children. Beyond that, I’ve always felt weird throwing away books that were beyond repair so I know I can take them to One Dollar Book Swap to be recycled.
A few tips before you go:
- Go solo. You know your kids best, and kids are welcome, but if you can, I’d go alone if you really want to be able to dig in the children’s books bins. Also, while there is some organization to the $1 books, you still need to walk around reading spines on the shelves which has always been a little tricky for me when I’m also trying to make sure one of my girls hasn’t grabbed anything they shouldn’t.
- Wear the right clothes. Speaking of digging in the bins, your hands can dirty pretty quick shifting through the books. I recommend bringing some gloves that you can wash later. It is a warehouse so comfy shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting dusty are another recommendation. I usually wipe all the books down with a cleaning wipe once I get them home.
- Bring a bag. They have some rolling carts, baskets, and shopping carts, but I would still recommend bringing something to hold your haul while you look around. I have seen parents that bring wagons for the kids to sit in while the books stack up in addition to a variety of carts and bags. You’ll still have to use the provided plastic grocery bag for the children’s books bins, and they will give you a box to pack it up in if needed (and even carry it out to your car for you) but again, if you have reusable shopping bags, I’d bring 1 or 2 along depending on many people you are book shopping for.
- Do some prep work. Take a few moments to think about the subject matter your kids are interested in or what you may not have in your library already; it will help you decide on what books you are looking for. If it’s your first time, sign up for the email list to receive a coupon for a free book. Look through your shelves to pull any books the kids just aren’t into or have outgrown to take with you to trade in on your way in.
- Go when you have time. Each time I have spent at least an hour just in the children’s areas. I suggest flipping through each book to make sure all the pages are there, there isn’t more writing or wear than you would like, and the you like the story or reading level of the book. If you plan on looking through adult books or other media, I wouldn’t go when you have to hurry.
I probably won’t go back for a few months until I’ve had a chance go through our library again but I will be recommending this as a service project for a group I volunteer with to help a cause or two out.[quote] It’s a great example of Daytonians taking care of Daytonians and I highly recommend checking it out. [/quote] Follow One Dollar Book Swap on Facebook for information on promotions and when they make updates to their space.
Looking to share the love of reading of others? Visit our Storytimes Around Dayton guide.
