Ohio’s Largest Book Fair!

Advanced Ticket Sales, Clean Sweep, Silent Auction and Other Goodies

We are at the Loft most days now getting ready for the Book Fair. We’ll maintain at least our regular hours there until November 4. Between the 4th and the 12th, it will be the big push to get 50 tons of books and other neat stuff moved across town to the Coliseum Building at the the Fairgrounds and set up.

The Fair opens Friday morning at 9 a.m. All day Friday there is an admission of $10. (Down from the $15 it has been in the recent past.)

Instead of tickets, we’ll be issuing numbered wristbands that will provide shoppers with unlimited access in and  out of the building all day. Wristbands will be available for pre-sale after November 1, on a first come, first serve basis.

They will cost $11– $10 for the admission and a $1 service fee.  You can order them by telephone at 937.999.4491, or online at the “Wristband” tab on this website.

If you don’t reach us at the Loft, leave a message and that will secure your place in the “queue”. Wristbands ordered prior to Friday, November 6th can be mailed to you. Wristbands ordered after November 6th will be held for you at will call at the Coliseum building– be prepared to show ID to pick it up– we wouldn’t want to give the wristband to the wrong person! . Pre-sales are final.  And of course, we will be selling them outside on the line from around 8 am on Friday.

We have added a half-day to the sale on Monday morning– which we are calling the Monday Morning Clean Sweep. It costs $1 per person to get in, and after you’re in, you’re welcome to take as many books as you’d like. You are welcome to bring handcarts, garden trolleys and the like. And it would probably be a good idea to bring a few boxes with you. Clean sweep runs from 8 a.m. until noon.

The Silent Auction is back this year– we’re still compiling the catalog– and a partial catalog is available online. There will be a printed catalog at the sale. Bidding opens on Friday at 9 a.m. and will close promptly at 6:01 p.m. Saturday night. If you are the prevailing bidder and you are not there, we can ship your book to you at your expense via priority mail. (We only charge the actual cost of shipping.) Winning bidders not present will be notified by Tuesday, November 17. We’ve had some outstanding donations this year and have some really nice books on offer.

Our whole collectible section has been revamped. It has a much broader scope than ever before, with great titles from 60s and 70s pop culture and literature, wonderful children’s books, an incredible collection of esoteric books on religion (more C.S. Lewis than Jerry Falwell), an excellent collection of military history, including many books from the library of the late Gil Unger, fantastic books on film, music, travel, natural history, antiquarian books on all topics and of course a great regional section. (And hardly a coffee table book to be found among them! ) Most collectible titles are intentionally underpriced between $4 and $7.50– so be sure to check them out.

And speaking of prices– we’ve gone to unit pricing this year. Unless otherwise marked, hardcover books are all $2, larger paperbacks are $1.50, small paperbacks $1, magazines and pamphlets fifty cents. Harlequin Romances are available between 50 cents and one dollar each– or $5.00 for a case of approximately 100 books. Oh and remember those coffee table books? Three bucks.

Children’s books are a bit less– $1.50 for hardcover and $1 for paperbacks. We’ve divided that section into children’s picture books and children’s chapter books– and also made a whole new section strictly for older teens.

Other new sections this year include Pets, Theatre, Mysticism and Supernatural, Holiday, True Crime, Self-Help, Parenting and Homeschooling, and the Writer’s Corner– a collection of books about writers and writing.

We have a huge new “Findings” section in the back right hand corner of the building, on Saturday, Sunday and  Monday only– overflowing with games, puzzles and other ephemera that has come in over the course of the year.

There will be a “bag sale” again on Sunday– it’s $7.50 for a bag, and that includes tax, for all the books you can fit in the bag. The only books exempt from this are collectibles and they are half price. (And yes, we provide the bags.)

There’s plenty of free parking at the site and we provide shopping carts!

If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to give us a call (937) 999-4491 or drop us a line– we look forward to seeing you in just a few short weeks!