Down a set of stairs inside the Webster branch of the New York Public Library, a volunteer-run used bookstore has quietly raised nearly $2 million for the city’s library system.
The Book Cellar operates out of the basement at 1465 York Ave. Manager Diane LaRue says the shop remains a local secret, with regular library patrons often discovering the basement space only after visiting the building for over a decade.
Now celebrating 22 years in operation, the store runs entirely on volunteer power.
Funding the Library
Open four days a week, the shop generated over $140,000 for the New York Public Library this past year alone.
Pricing is designed to keep inventory moving quickly to make room for constant donations. Most books are priced around $3, with designated sections for $1 fiction and mass-market mysteries. Newer releases are slightly more expensive, running between $6 and $8.
To encourage bulk buying, the store maintains a permanent promotion where customers purchasing four books receive a fifth for free.
The volunteer staff actively manages an Instagram account to post recent donations. Highly anticipated arrivals, such as young adult trilogies or popular mystery series, frequently prompt followers to rush into the shop to secure the titles before they sell out.
Circulating Excess Inventory
Because shelf space in the basement is limited, volunteers regularly evaluate the inventory.
When books are in great condition but are no longer selling, they are packed up and redirected to other local organizations to ensure they do not go to waste.
The Book Cellar supplies the Brooklyn Book Bodega, which provides free books for children to keep in their homes, and donates to Project Cicero, an initiative serving under-resourced city schools.
Finding alternative ways to distribute the heavy influx of community donations, the volunteer team recently expanded their outreach by setting up a dedicated library for a nursing home in Harlem.
