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Benefit sale to feature popular and hard-to-find books

By Staff | Oct 13, 2011

Machele and Tom Stabler pose with some of the 400 boxes of books they are donating from the Old Lahaina Book Emporium to the Maui Friends of the Library. The Friends are holding a giant book sale in Kahului starting Oct. 15.

KAHULUI – Thousands of books from the recently closed Old Lahaina Book Emporium, which were donated to the Maui Friends of the Library, will go on sale Friday, Oct. 14, at a storefront next to Ah Fook’s grocery in the Old Kahului Shopping Center.

The sale will continue on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Sunday, Oct. 30. Proceeds will be used to benefit the county’s eight public libraries, according to Maui Friends of the Library President Dorothy Tolliver.

According to Tolliver, the sale will include hard-to-find titles, books signed by famous authors and a good representation of Hawaiiana subjects and Hawaiian authors. She noted that the books will be value priced with most being sold for $5 or less.

Maui County librarians and members of the Maui Friends of the Library will get “first pick” at a pre-sale event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13.

Tolliver said, “We’re asking those attending the pre-sale to bring proof of membership. It’s not too late to join. Memberships can be purchased at the door during the pre-sale event.”

Annual membership dues to be part of the Maui Friends of the Library are $10 for adults, $20 for families and $5 for students, military and seniors.

Membership dues are used to support the county’s public libraries. Light pupus compliments of Whole Foods Market will be served at the pre-sale event starting at 2 p.m.

The books are a gift from Machele and Tom Stabler. Tom is a member of the Maui Friends of the Library board.

“As an avid lover of books, I couldn’t let this opportunity to help our libraries go by,” said Tom.

He believes that the popularity of digital readers is causing a sea change in reading and book purchasing. At the same time, libraries are experiencing a surge in popularity across the country.

“Machele and I saw a wonderful opportunity to help our local libraries through this donation and are very proud to be in a position to give these books for that cause,” he said.

The Stablers not only donated the books, but they also have moved them from the Lahaina book store to the sale location and participated with volunteers from the Maui Friends of the Library in pricing the books and organizing them for the special sale.

Maui Friends of the Library, a volunteer organization founded on Maui in 1912, today operates the only used book store on the island in Puunene past the Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Mill and Museum.

The organization also sells books monthly in front of Whole Foods Market in Maui Mall. For more information, visit www.mfol.org.

The Old Lahaina Book Emporium – located just off Front Street in Lahaina – closed its doors in July 2011. Former proprietor JoAnn Carroll also is helping with the sale to benefit the Maui Friends of the Library.