Book Cellar named 'best' by L.A. Weekly

STEPHANIE BERTHOLDO/Acorn Newspapers TREASURE TROVE—Friends of the Library volunteers Marg Deuter, Jan Allen, president Tom Allen, manager Diane Haupt and Muriel Latta display the L.A. Weekly article that named the Book Cellar at the Agoura Hills Library "Best Literary Mine" because of its $1 "treasures." Volunteers donate their time sorting and selling books. Sales proceeds are donated to the library. The Book Cellar, a used book store in the basement of the Agoura Hills Library, is no longer the community's best kept secret.

Recently named L.A. Weekly's "Best Literary Mine" in the publication's "Best of L.A. 2008" edition, the nonprofit book reseller now attracts customers from throughout the Southland, bibliophiles who are making the trek to the local store to seek out-of-print titles and other beloved books.

The Book Cellar is packed with every kind of book imaginable, including poetry, science fiction, history, hard-to-find art books, mysteries, children's books, biographies and music. College students routinely search for required textbooks that would ordinarily cost $100 or more at college campuses. They generally pay less than the price of a cup of coffee for the book.

Books at the Cellar range in price from 50 cents to about $2.

"It's just like a little secret place and hopefully won't stay secret for long," said Diane Haupt, the Book Cellar's manager.

Pages and pages

Haupt also is on the board of the directors of the Friends of the Agoura Hills Library, a nonprofit group that uses proceeds from store's book sales to enhance library services. The Friends are made up of volunteers who accept book donations from a variety of sources and then divide the goods between the main library upstairs and the Internet arm of the group. When an exceptionally rare book lands at the doorstep of the Cellar, the book is listed on eBay to maximize profits.

Just because rare books are plucked from the stock for higher profits on the Internet doesn't mean there aren't plenty of treasures to be found in the basement store. According to Tom Allen, president of the Friends of the Library, many people have found first edition books and books signed by the author or illustrator.

The money raised by the Friends is used to stock the periodical section in the main library and for children and teen programs, book carts, movies, furniture and other items and services that are not fully funded by Los Angeles County. The money is also used to maintain the plants in the main library, Allen said.

Jan Allen, the public relations coordinator for the Friends group, said no one realized that the Book Cellar was even nominated for the "Best" honor in L.A. Weekly, let alone chosen as the winner.

"We didn't even know it until somebody came here from Catalina and told us," Jan Allen said. "It's just unbelievable."

Regular customers

The Book Cellar has a following of regular customers who purchase books as well as donate them.

Tom Allen said used bookstore owners from Las Vegas, Bakersfield and Arizona—including one bookseller who specalizes in cookbooks—make regular trips to the Book Cellar to look for special finds.

A prison minister is a frequent visitor, Allen said. "We donate bibles to him for that effort," he said.

The Friends also donate books to underprivileged schools and prison libraries. Books are also shipped to the military overseas, Allen said.

"We come here to volunteer and come home with more books than we probably have time to read," Allen said.

Jonathon Rieck comes from West Hills to the Book Cellar twice a month to browse and possibly pick up a book he didn't even know he wanted.

"We find things here we don't see in regular bookstores," Rieck said. "It's one thing when I know what I'm looking for," he said about paying top dollar at a retail bookstore. "When I come here I find things that I never thought of. I love it."

N. Jenssen wrote in L.A. Weekly that the Book Cellar "literally overflows with riches."

"Go because there are so many $1 treasures to be had: art books with full-color plates, hard-to-find cookbooks, a dozen or more books about horses . . . and always a fine selection of history, biography, selfhelp, home decorating/fixing and several shelves of recently released trade novels you'd hate to spend $15 on," Jenssen wrote.

Get on the list

The Cellar offers a wish list service to keep the customers coming back. Buyers put their contact information and the name of the book they'd like to have on a form and when the book is donated they receive a call that it's in.

"Sometimes it comes in during the week, sometimes it takes a year," Jan Allen said. "Diane screens incoming books against the list."

The Book Cellar is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is in the basement of the Agoura Hills Library at 29901 Ladyface Court in Agoura Hills.

For more information, call (818) 889-2278.