After being closed for three years to accommodate the rebuilding of Peterborough Town Library, the Kyes-Sage Used Bookshop at 14 Concord St. reopened in May.
The bookshop is a nonprofit organization operated by the group Friends of the Peterborough Town Library. All employees are volunteers. All books are donated, and all proceeds benefit the library.
“We’re book-lovers, and we just want to provide books to people who love books too,” said Carol Boyle, chair of the Friends of the Peterborough Town Library board.
During the library renovation, the Kyes-Sage building was used as an office for the construction manager. One change since reopening is that the shop is smaller, as the back part of the building now houses the library’s wood-pellet heating and cooling system. The system runs under the parking lot and powers the heating and cooling of the new library building.
According to Boyle, the Friends of the Peterborough Town Library have been in place since 1979. Since its start, the organization has provided funding to the library through used book sales.
In 2000, the operation moved into the Kyes-Sage building. Boyle said its architectural history is part of why patrons enjoy shopping there.
“It’s a nice experience for people to go into the house,” she said. “It’s the only surviving example of Carpenter Gothic that exists in town. The house itself is a gem.”
Due to the reduced size of the bookstore, the Friends have had to limit the genres of books that they are able to accept. At the moment, they are accepting all manner of children’s books, and adult books are limited to fiction and biographies. Boyle said she hopes the shop will eventually expand to include some nonfiction genres.
The majority of books in the the shop cost $1 to $2, with the exception of certain books that have collector’s value, which are specially priced. In addition to providing used books to community members at low prices, Boyle feels that the Kyes-Sage has a recycling aspect to it as well. She said patrons often purchase a book, read it, then donate it back to the store.
“A book may generate income several times,” she said. “It’s saving books from ending up in the trash.”
The shop is already stocked with books, after having been cleaned out completely for the construction project.
“Our shelves were completely bare,” said Boyle. “We had to start from scratch.”
Although they have had a steady flow of books since reopening, Boyle says they could always use more.
For information on the Friends of the Peterborough Town Library, membership forms can be found in the Kyes-Sage Bookshop or at the help desk inside the library.
The shop is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Book donations are accepted during those hours.