The doors open on the annual Times Colonist book sale Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Victoria Curling Club. Here’s what you need to know.
The sale takes place at 1952 Quadra St., from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The day usually starts off with a lineup around the block, so be prepared to be patient.
Books cost $3 for hardcovers and $2 for softcovers and children’s books. Payment is by cash, debit, MasterCard, Visa or American Express.
Make sure to wear comfy shoes, as you’ll be on a concrete floor. Some people bring their own bags, but you can pick up cardboard boxes at the curling club.
Pay parking is available in the lot that serves the curling club and Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. There is free parking along Quadra Street, but watch out for residential-parking-only signs on some side streets. The No. 6 bus is another option. It travels along Quadra.
Once the sale is over, representatives of schools and non-profit groups can help themselves to the remaining books, for free, from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, May 8.
This is the 25th anniversary of the book sale, which the Times Colonist launched to fund literacy programs on Vancouver Island.
The money raised is matched, in part, by provincial government funds via Decoda Literacy Solutions. Grants worth over $6 million have been distributed — mostly to schools — since the first sale in 1998.
