New Textbook Service Garners Sharon Book Shop 'A'-ttention

Learning something new about Sharon's inspired a vehicle to pull up, not long ago.

"Their trunk was literally full of textbooks," says Paul Cutler, whose family operates the Sharon Heights Plaza shop.

"They had been in school five years, and had five years' worth of textbooks."

The Sharon shop has paid many people for their used college textbooks, and recycling others, since forming a partnership with Book Cellar Inc. over the summer, says Merry Cutler, Paul's mother.

Customers receive checks based on the value Book Cellar assigns to a particular book, she says. Newer texts are "more valuable than a 10-year-old nursing book, which may garner the seller nothing, she says.

Paul Cutler says one professional tutor brought in this year's edition and last year's edition of the same book.

The tutor received $75 for this year's edition. "Last year's edition of the very same book, (the payment) was $1.80," Paul says.

Merry Cutler says Book Cellar also has authorized the store to take textbooks for either donation to a Third World country or recycling.

"We'll find a home for them somewhere," she says.

Merry Cutler says her store began working with Book Cellar after other Annie's Book Stops, including in Concord, N.H. and Lowell, participated and recommended it.

"We don't make much money off the textbooks, but it brings people in," Merry Cutler says.

"We provide a service. People don't know what to do with them."

A sign in the store window promotes the service.

"I've had people come in (and say) they saw the sign and never noticed there was a bookstore here before," Merry Cutler says.

"One lady said, 'I've been driving by here for 10 years. How long have you been here?' We've been in this plaza since July of 1999."

However, some customers have read into the sign.

"We spend a lot of time saying, 'Yes, the sign says we buy textbooks. But we don't sell them,'" Merry Cutler says.