March Super-Bodega sales top 62,000 pesos
By Kathleen Ellsworth

On four Thursdays in March, the Bodega de Sorpresas featured a section of rare and collectible books in addition to its regular offerings. The first sale on March 5 was a record-breaker, with nearly a thousand books sold in three hours for 14,000 pesos.

The record did not stand for long; the wrap-up March 26 sale made 18,067 pesos. The final total for four sales during the month was 62,103 pesos (Bodega 22,750 pesos and rare books 39,353 pesos).

I would like to thank everyone in San Miguel who supported the Super-Bodega sale and made it such a wonderful success. I also would like to thank the staff at the Biblioteca, Gerald Camp, Bob Quick and Kennedy Poyser, who also donated time, energy and support to make this all possible. We will now have the opportunity to provide the community with more books and services with the money raised. 

The Bodega sale resumes its regular format on Thursdays in April, 10am–1pm. The next offering of rare books will be in July or August. Donations are welcome in the interim and receive careful attention. Books are screened for the leisure-reading paperback shelves, campo libraries, Biblioteca acquisitions, rare books, Bodega and other sales. 

Sales provide additional funds for the library. The Bodega has helped fund the Biblioteca’s scholarship programs for decades through weekly sales of books and other items. 


Kathleen Ellsworth catalogs books for the Biblioteca as a volunteer. The sale was successful because of the many hours she spent pricing and preparing the rare books, managing the sales section and then packing up after each sale.