'Little Shop' has big buys for book lovers

By Peggy Gardiner

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Welcome to The Little Shop. If you are looking for those special holiday gifts you have a new place to come to. The newly opened Little Shop in the Modesto library welcomes you.

The volunteers and the Friends of the Modesto Library have worked hard to set up a unique gift shop where the community will be able to purchase one-of-a-kind items. Many items are hand-crafted by local artists and are held on consignment.

We have handbags, aprons, new books by local writers, and one-of-a- kind stationery items for those of us who still use the written word and the U.S. mail.

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Shop hours are Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturdays we are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the future we hope to be able to extend our hours so we will be open during children's story hour, so the parents can come in to browse.

We will be open until 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, during the downtown Art Walk.

The Little Shop did a soft opening for the Art Walk in October, and we were very pleased with the sales for the evening.

Our shop boasts original mural work by Suzanne Staud, who is also in charge of selecting consignment items with the help of Ellen Mayer. Suzanne and her helpers, Stella Beratlis and Ellen Mayer, did all the hard labor in having the entire store set up with displays, and also the painting of the interior. It is hard to believe it was just an office.

I am the shop manager; Mayer is our purchasing-merchandise manager; Clare Noonan is responsible for marketing; and most important is Anne Holden who organizes our volunteers and staff schedule.

All profits from The Little Shop will go directly to the Friends of the Modesto Library. From the Friends of the Modesto Library, all proceeds will be used for the Modesto library as special requests are made by the library staff. These earnings are intended to enhance the offerings at the library, not to supplement the county budget for the library system.

Gardiner was a visiting editor with The Bee last quarter. Write her at columns@modbee.com.