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Acres of Books' Inventory Sold Off Saturday as Fundraiser
Inside Acres of Books in April 2008 (Photo by GarySe7en via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
It's been about two years since Long Beach's beloved Acres of Books indicated they were willing to go with the times and pack up and move along. The storied bookseller, which first opened in Long Beach in 1934, then moved to its next and final location in 1960, had thousands of books left, however, after they closed their doors.
But there was one last chance for book lovers to rejoice, explains the Press-Telegram:
The ArtExchange, who now owns the iconic Acres of Books building, reopened the building Saturday for a fundraiser involving the bookstore's leftover inventory of 30,000 books and 1,500 vintage fruit crates. For $25, visitors were able to choose a crate and fill it to the brim with books. Alex Salto, executive director of the ArtExchange estimated the crowd to be between 600 and 700 people.
The fruit crates, some dating back to 1900, were used to haul books to their Long Beach Blvd. location when Acres of Books moved in 1960. The crates served as shelving in the store until it closed in 2008.
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