Last Saturday, the POP Project held our latest Rethink Ink Book Sale Fundraiser at the parking lot of Grace Baptist Church on Haywood Street in West Asheville. The morning started out a little rocky, but overall the event was a success.
In the days leading up to Rethink Ink, POP was keeping an eye on the weather forecast. As you would expect, outdoor book sales don’t do very well in the rain. The forecast was looking spotty, at best, so we developed a plan to pack up and move quickly should the need arise.
As it turns out, that was a great plan to have, but not for the reason we expected. While we did feel just a few droplets of moisture at 10am, the rain stayed miraculously away until the moment we were driving home. Instead, we needed to implement our plan for another reason: We were in the wrong spot! We accidentally set up one row closer to the road than we should have and ended up in another business’s parking lot. As soon as that was brought to our attention (which, luckily, was while we were still in the middle of putting books out), we literally picked everything up and moved it back to the right lot.
After that snafu, the day went off without a hitch. Dozens of book lovers came by to weed through the selection and take a few lucky books home. About a dozen took advantage of our “bag deal” and filled up a reusable Ingles grocery bag for $10. A couple people fit as many as 30 books in their bags!
The Results of the Sale
Overall, we sold two and half times as many books during this sale as we did last year, but did not raise as much money. Our numbers were:
- 251 Books Sold
- $258 Raised
All proceeds from the sale will used to cover the costs of storing our books until they are redistributed in the community. The money raised will cover the costs of our largest storage unit until October 1!
Thanks to our Volunteers and Supporters!
We could not have organized a successful fundraiser without the help of our great group of volunteers and supporters! POP sends our biggest thanks to the team who helped us organize logistics, move and unpack books, manage the fundraising event, and pack up at the end of the day. Your help was immeasurable, and we owe you our gratitude.
- Elizabeth Garzarelli
- Lyric Powers
- Grace Baptist Church
- Norbury Books & Cafe
- Spellbound Children’s Bookshop
- Trinity Baptist Church
- West Asheville Library
More Support is Needed
The POP Project is still looking for monthly donors to cover the costs of our two smaller storage units. If you are interested in making a one-time donation or becoming a regular monthly sponsor, see our donation page for details.
Books available during the Rethink Ink Book Sale Fundraiser were many that we had in surplus, and which were not ideal donations for our current list of partnering organizations. The POP Project has a wide-ranging additional supply of books to give. If you know of any organizations in town that would benefit from having more books on hand, let us know today!
