by Supplied

Whangaparaoa Parish Book Heaven

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Book Heaven Second-hand Bookshop began almost by accident and is now surpassing all expectations, generating excellent income and providing a valuable community service.

In September 2020, shop tenant, Ian Harrison, decided to leave and establish his business elsewhere. He had been running Harrison’s Book Heaven but didn’t want to move all the books and bookcases out, so he “donated” the shop to us.

We had been told that we might earn about $36,000.00 per year. This would cover the rent, on which our church relied, and a little extra after expenses. A small group of us met, considered the enormity of the job ahead, and we hesitantly began, totally reorganizing the shelving and floor space in an overhaul of the shop.

Two of our over 80-year-olds spent weeks sorting every book of fiction by the author. Others agreed to do three- or four-hour shifts staffing the shop. Our local pre-school parents were delighted to bring their toddlers to browse. Soon boxes of books were being donated, near-new bookshelves arrived, and a very practical handy-woman braced up sagging shelves. It took two months for our EFTPOS machine to arrive, but turnover was better than expected with cash only.

It has been important to us to uphold our values. We wanted to reach out to the local community and to be welcoming to all. We help sell the Lions Club calendars and we collect food-donations for our local food bank. People can be amazingly generous. Although we screen what books go onto the shelves, no donations are turned away.

At last count, in January 2023, we stocked over 10,000 books. Our faithful volunteers show up each week for their shifts. They have come to know the customers and the books including novels, and categories covering science fiction, religion, spirituality, classics, books for youth and for children and many more. All items are in near-new condition.

To our surprise, in the first nine months, (including Covid-19 breaks) we grossed $38,000.00. In our second year, again with the Covid restrictions, we grossed $54,000.00. In the past fiscal year, even with the cyclone flooding, we grossed over $78,000.00 - well beyond our wildest dreams.

We are aware that other local charities also sell second-hand books. Our customers come to us because they receive quality service and care. When they “return” books, they get an automatic discount on their new purchases. Our volunteers love what they do. It shows.