We are very sorry to report that the Bethlehem Lutheran Church exercised their option to not renew our lease at 955 12th Street. We have to vacate the premises by November 30th, 2017.
Even if we are lucky enough to find a new location, we will need to stop accepting books by the middle of October and close for book giveaway in early November.
East Bay Children’s Book Project Volunteers
After 12 years and 4 moves, we are not sure if our luck will hold out again. Whoever rents to us must share our vision and see us as more than your average tenant.
Our requirements are unusual. We need about 1200 to 1500 square feet of dedicated space. We are looking for a convenient, safe location with adequate free parking. In addition, it must be a bottom floor location with handicapped access. Unfortunately, we are only able to pay about $1 a square foot.
If you know of any possibilities, please let us know. The thousands of clients who have received more than 1.6 million books from us will be very appreciative.
In the meantime, we are opening Tuesday, August 15, 2017, as usual, at 3:00PM.
Questions:
- Why did they not renew the lease?
- We don’t know for sure.
- Does it have to be in Oakland?
- Most of our community (volunteers and clients) live or work in the Oakland area, and we’d prefer to stay within 15 minutes or so of Oakland.
- Are you willing to share the space?
- We’ve shared space in the past, and would be happy to find a compatible organization whose activities fit within our schedule.
- Can you do it at a different time? On weekends?
- No – we’ve found that 3-6 PM on weekdays we’ve had the most success serving clients. We do try to be open on a Saturday once a semester, from 9AM – 12PM.
- How much book storage do you need?
- We have about 50,000 – 75,000 books in storage at any time, which are stored on shelves and in boxes. We receive deliveries of books, which are sorted by our volunteers. Twice a week, between 50-100 people come by the space to pick up books.
- How long a lease are you looking for?
- The longer the better.
- How do I keep up with the information about this process?
- You can sign up to our mailing list on our website (http://ebcbp.org) or join our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ebcbp/)