Get books for cheap as Book City closes - East Idaho News
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Get books for cheap as Book City closes

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IDAHO FALLS — Thousands of books will find new homes as Book City of Idaho Falls closes forever in the next several weeks.

The used bookstore at 2299 E. 17th St. has been open for about 10 years, but recently a liquidating company was hired to handle the estimated 110,000 book volume in the store.

The pending closure comes in the wake of huge changes in the book publishing industry, with various factors, from ebooks to online purchases to self-publishing, contributing to the closure of new and used bookstores across the country.

“I’ve been told that one-third of the books in the store have been here a long time,” said Angie Payne with Anchor Real Estate Liquidators. “And there are 300 more boxes of books in the back.”

Book City’s massive inventory has been a challenge to manage during the liquidation process, Payne said. An appraisal company also came in to gauge how many books there were and how much they could sell for quickly.

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Carrie Snider, EastIdahoNews.com

Payne and her team began liquidating Oct. 28. Since then, there has been a good amount of foot traffic. The 50 percent off sale, which they have been advertising on local radio, Craigslist, and newspapers, has definitely helped bring people in, she said.

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But Payne added that they have only scratched the surface. The sales momentum at Book City will dictate how long the liquidation will continue.

Those looking for rare books could find some especially great deals here, Payne said.

“Some of them are over 100 years old and you won’t likely see them again,” she said. “With the sale, customers are getting them for great prices. I’ve been online to see that some of them typically sell for more.”

EastIdahoNews.com was unable to reach the Book City owners for comment.

Book City is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. while the liquidation continues for couple weeks. At the moment the the store is only accepting cash for books.

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