Good News and Sad News
We are open again, all regular hours (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 10 to 3 and Wednesdays, 1 to 7). We still have contactless drop-offs at the Embury Park facility, but we can also (suitably masked) assist you if you need our help. If you just have a smaller donation, we still have our 24 hour drop box. (But please, if you have a large donation, wait for open hours– putting too many books in the drop at once causes damage to the books and our cart!)
In addition, we are also now scheduling in home and in business pickups for individuals who are unable to bring their books to us. Just call during open hours (937) 999-4491 and ask for Mike to arrange for pickups.
Sadly, we have canceled the Dayton Book Fair for 2020, as circumstances were just too unpredictable. We have already scheduled the fair for the second weekend in November 2021 and invite you to shop the Dayton Book Fair store on eBay and stay tuned for our silent auction to be held online the weekend of November 13-15th. We will post updates when the catalog is ready.
We are closed again, briefly. (We hope.)
The Foundation’s “Book Loft” will again be closed; this time through Monday, July 13 for two reasons.
The first is that one of the compressors for the air-conditioning has failed, so half of the building is without AC. The building owner will be replacing both compressors (since they’re both 28 years old) sometime during the week— and it takes a crane to do so because they are installed on the roof. The thing is that we don’t know the actual day next week— it’s forecast to be in the 90s all week and it puts a great deal of stress on the remaining working system to have it running with the other off. So it’s hot here.
The other is that Montgomery County is one of seven hot spots for extreme risk for the Coronavirus infection. Two of the others are Butler and Hamilton counties, so that makes a whole lot of free-floating infectors in our area. With the mask ordinance in Dayton, I hope that we will begin to see a reduction in those numbers.
The board will revisit this situation next weekend and decide where to go from there. I surely do hope that we will be able to decide to once again open our doors.
How We Plan to Reopen
The Book Fair Foundation will reopen their offices at 2181 Embury Park Road in Dayton on Tuesday, June 2 for regular hours Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
At that time we will only able to accept “no contact” donations, which may be left in the glass entryway in the front or on the loading dock at the rear of the building. Signed receipts will be available in the entryway. We hate to have to be so “stand-offish” but for the time being we must err on the side of caution.
Sadly, we are unable to offer book donation pickups at homes or businesses right now. We will reevaluate this situation on June 30. We appreciate your patience as we try to navigate these uncharted waters and we all hope that we will soon be able to return to our complete array of services for bibliophiles and donors. 
We are Closed Through May 29th
New Beneficiaries for 2020
The Book Fair Foundation announced on Wednesday February 5th that they have chosen Dayton International Peace Museum, Xenia Area Community Theater and WYSO Center for Community Voices as recipients of the proceeds from the organization’s 2020 Book Fair.
Once again we were inundated with so many excellent candidates, it is a challenge to choose just three and so wonderful to see how many great non-profits there are here working for the greater good of our community.
NEW deadline for 2020 Applications
If you are interested in being a beneficiary of the Dayton Book Fair in 2020, please note that the application deadline has been changed ! It must be received by close of business (3 pm) on 21 January 2020 or postmarked 15 January 2020. You can find information and a link to the application packet here.
Need a New Home for Your Books?
With all the Marie Kondo-ing going on and spring cleaning upon us, you may find yourself with a books you’d like to rehome. Perhaps you’re down-sizing. In any case, we can help you. If you need boxes, we have them. If you need a pick-up, we can come get them. If you need a team of us to come box your books and carry them away we can do that to. (There’s no charge for any of this, we’re happy to help.) Just give us a call at (937) 999-4491 or send us an email at daytonbookfair@gmail.com
If you’re more the DIY type, you can bring your books to us during our open hours (and we’ll help unload them) Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Wednesday 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Or if you come at a time when we’re not open, we have a 24 hour secure (bear proof!) book drop in our parking lot.
In addition to books, we’re happy to take vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, games, artwork, posters, desk sets, vintage paper items, book-related toys, calendars, audiobooks, and whatever else you might have in your desk drawers.
And if you only have a few books to bring us, that’s great too. After all, you need to hold on to a few to read.
We are a 501(c)3 organization and a registered charity, your donation is tax deductible!
New Beneficiaries for 2019.
After weeks of deliberation and poring over stacks of applications, we have chosen our three partners for the 2019 Book Fair, who will each receive an equal portion of the proceeds from the sale. They are the Dayton Day of the Dead Festival, the Greater Dayton LGBT Center and the Miami Valley Community Action Partners.
In addition we are looking forward to presenting checks next week of $10,000 each to our 2018 Beneficiaries Rebuilding Together Dayton, the Victory Project and We Care Arts.
Be sure to check out “Recent News” for the scoop on the new beneficiaries, (and the process of choosing them) along with the many other things we’re up to at the Book Fair Foundation. All this and more coming soon to RECENT NEWS.
Dayton Book Fair 