It's another successful chapter for book sale

The first day of the Sisters of Providence Used Book Sale, on
Aug. 4, brought several people out to the Providence Center
Conference Room at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

On Aug. 12, The Gift Shop at Providence Center wrapped up its annual Used Book Sale, featuring one of the largest sales ever.

“We had more books than we have ever had before,” Debbie Victor, manager of The Gift Shop, which hosts the event, said. “Each year, [the book sale] gets bigger.”

Used Book Sale items are collected throughout the year and donations come not only from the Sisters of Providence, but the Sisters of Providence staff members and friends of the sisters as well.

A customer takes a closer look at a
book she may decide to purchase.

If you had a topic in mind, needed information of general interest or just wanted a good read, the Used Book Sale was the place to be. A lot of people look forward to the event, according to Debbie.

“We have a family that comes from Bedford (Ind.) every year,” Debbie said, noting the family made it a point to show up this year, too. “The wife couldn’t come, but her husband said his wife puts it on the family calendar each year.”

Wabash Valley residents make up the largest group of customers. “We had people from Paris, Ill., Spencer, Ind., and Marshall, Ill.,” Debbie noted. “Even a couple of ladies from Texas, who were in Indiana visiting, came to the sale.”

Providence Center at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., was packed Aug. 4, the sale’s opening day, as people waited patiently to enter the Conference Room, where the sale was conducted through to Aug. 12. 

“People were elbow to elbow,” Debbie recalled. “Sister Rose Marita [Riordan] counted that we had 70 people waiting in the lobby [for the sale to start].”

The books are “sold” via donation, as customers determine the amount to be paid. The generosity of the public is appreciated, Debbie said, because all of the sale proceeds benefit ministries of the Sisters of Providence. Any books left over are donated to Goodwill Industries Inc. in Terre Haute, Ind.

Debbie was pleased with this year’s sale, saying she enjoys seeing familiar faces and new people too.

“I’d say the number of attendees this year is equal to or above what we had the previous year,” she said. “[The sale] is always successful.”