Encore Bookstore helps library

BELLA VISTA — Although it is a volunteer-run nonprofit, the Encore Bookstore at the Bella Vista Public Library functions like most professional bookstores, according to Kathy Jeffery, the chair of the bookstore committee.

The committee is part of the larger Friends of the Bella Vista Library, and all the funds raised by the store are donated to the library.

The library began as a nonprofit but became part of the city of Bella Vista in 2014. While the city funds most of the day-to-day expenses of running the library, the Friends of the Bella Vista Library still funds some things that aren’t covered by the budget, Jeffery said. For example, the group helps pay for the Summer Reading Program activities and sometimes will pay for multiple copies of a book needed for one of the book clubs. The group also made significant donations to the building funds for the library’s recent addition as well as a parking lot addition.

Jeffery said she works closely with the library staff on donations. Often the library itself receives large donations of books and the staff chooses which ones to add to their collection. Sometimes they replace books that show signs of wear with donated copies, and sometimes they may add a new book to the collection. The books that aren’t needed and the old copies that have been replaced are sent on to the bookstore.

Even if the bookstore receives a donation directly, Jeffery checks to make sure it’s not needed by the library. The donated books can save money that can go toward other library needs, she explained.

The prices at Encore are always very low, she said.

“There’s nothing over $5,” she said. “Anything older than 2007 is 50 cents. That’s even better than Dollar Tree.”

Collectors sometimes find valuable books for a fraction of what they would pay online. She remembers one woman who was collecting Better Homes and Gardens Cook Books that cost $ 10 online, but only 50 cents at Encore.

Collectors can leave their name and contact information so staff can alert them if a specific book is donated.

Some people come in to prepare for a vacation and pick up “armloads” of books to bring along, Jeffery said. Sometimes those books are donated back to the store after the vacation ends.

But Encore sells more than books. During covid, the library had to stop loaning jigsaw puzzles because they could not be disinfected. The book store received the library’s collection of puzzles which are now available for sale. Often the same puzzles are donated back to the shop.

The store no longer deals with VHS movies, but DVDs are still popular with collectors and ordinary movie watchers Jeffery said.

Sometimes, there are E-readers for sale at Encore, and there are often audio books on CDs in stock.

“We have a little bit of something for everyone,” Jeffery said.

They even sell some greeting cards. People receive sets of greeting cards when they make a donation to certain nonprofits, Jeffery said. They donate that to the bookstore so other people can pick up a greeting card for 10 cents.

Calendars are another category of donations being redonated and sold for a small amount. A local home-school family was able to buy a calendar for their children for 10 cents each, Jeffery said.

The Encore Bookstore operates with very little overhead. One of its larger expenses is for Ziploc bags that are used to contain puzzle pieces. Jeffery said when they moved the puzzle collection, they discovered the shelf that had housed the boxed puzzles was covered with random pieces so the bags became necessary. They also use plastic bags for shoppers who buy large numbers of books, but those bags are donated after being used for grocery shopping.

When the library opened its new addition after a long shutdown for covid in 2020, Encore Bookstore had a new location. Now the store is located just inside the front entrance to the library. That means the volunteers who man the book store can see library patrons coming and going. Occasionally, they help the staff answer questions.

The Encore staff includes 14 volunteers who work about 16 hours a month, Jeffery said. Although they have a full schedule right now, she’s always happy to have new volunteers.

The store is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. On Friday, the hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

(Submitted Photo) The Encore Bookstore, located just inside the entrance to the Bella Vista Public Library, is open every weekday.