The History of the Used Book Superstore and Got Books, Inc.
The Used Book Superstore and its sister company Got Books, Inc find good homes for donated books, CDs, DVDs, audio books, and records. Donated items are hand sorted at our warehouse. Books that can be repurposed and reused are sold online or through the Used Book Superstore where books are as low as $1.39.
Today the Used Book Superstore and Got Books, Inc employ nearly 100 people and are headquartered in a 69,000 square foot building in Wilmington MA.
Success of Charity Book Sale Leads to Retail Stores
With tens of thousands of books in its North 1.Reading warehouse as a result of the success of its book donation program, Got Books launched a completely new venture – direct sales of books to the public. The ‘Charity Book Sale’ began in 2006 and opened in the warehouse each Friday and Saturday.
Books were made available at $1.00 each and half of all book sale profits were donated to local nonprofit groups. Each month a different nonprofit group benefited from the book sales. Beneficiaries included RARA (Retarded Adult Rehabilitation Association), North Reading Citizens Scholarship Foundation, Arlington Babe Ruth Baseball, Local Heroes and more. The sales were wildly successful with individuals and book resellers lining up outside as early as 7:00AM on sale days to be the first inside when doors opened at 9:00AM. These sales set the stage for the launch of the Used Book Superstore.
Continued growth required additional space. In June 2008, Got Books moved to Lawrence, MA to a 59,000 square foot warehouse and office space with additional room for sorting books and a separate space for the Charity Book Sale.
Based on the success of the Charity Book Sale, the first Used Book Superstore was opened in Burlington, MA in August 2008. The store housed over 100,000 books in 13,000 square feet and was the largest used bookstore in New England.
On its first day, a line of people formed that stretched all the way to the street. Shoppers waited in line for over one hour to check out at the register. Thousands of people flooded the store on opening weekend and made it clear that the Used Book Superstore was a success. Within weeks, the Burlington store was featured on WCVB’s ‘Chronicle’ and as the Boston Globe’s Shopping Tip of the Day.
In November 2008 the Danvers, MA store opened to the same level of excitement and reception and the Saugus, MA store at the Square One Mall joined the growing chain in April 2009.
The company continued at a rapid growth rate and soon outgrew the Lawrence warehouse location. A new 69,000 square foot warehouse was secured in Wilmington, MA and provided the company with much needed office space in addition to the spacious warehouse. However, the new warehouse did not offer a space for the Charity Book Sale. The final sale was held on October 31, 20
09.
January 2010 saw the opening of the first New Hampshire Used Book Superstore in Nashua, with the Salem, NH store opening in February 2010.
The Company’s successes and growth continues. Highlights:
- Nearly 500 drop-off donation containers placed throughout New England
- Five Used Book Superstores
- Nearly 100 employees
- Over $1 Million raised for local nonprofit organizations
- Nearly 30 million books saved from landfills
Got Books And Used Book Superstore Today and in the Future
Employment
With nearly 100 employees, Used Book Superstore/Got Books is a “preferred” workplace. The Company maintains a positive, can-do work place where people enjoy working and are rewarded for their success. The Company provides a higher pay rate than most warehouses, Health and Dental Insurance, 401k with matching dollar for dollar employer contributions, growth opportunities for employees and paid vacation.
The explosive growth of Got Books and the Used Book Superstore over the past two years has prompted developing the Company’s executive staff. Positioning the Company for future growth and expansion both inside and beyond New England is the primary goal for the senior staff.
Retail Stores
The success of the Used Book Superstore, despite a soft retail economy, has validated the Got Books business model. Unlike traditional used book stores, the Used Book Superstore is well lit, highly organized, and provides comfortable areas for browsing. Stores put thousands of new books and media items on the shelves each week.
New retail locations are continually reviewed for market size and probability of success.
In addition, the Used Book Superstore has expanded their products to include greeting cards, magazines, and toys available at discounted prices. These additions make the Used Book Superstore a one-stop shopping destination.
