If you have ever wondered what happens to a book before it becomes a book, on Saturday, July 25, you could buy your way into that secret at the Silver Unicorn Bookstore.
The occasion was the bookstore’s annual ARC Sale. This is one of the most anticipated traditions at the West Acton shop that owner Paul Swydan opened in a former car wash on Spruce Street back in March 2018. ARC stands for Advance Review Copy, the pre-publication edition that publishers send to booksellers so they can start reading, and talking up, a title months before it lands on shelves.
In the same vein, Deepika Prakash, owner of PatternReview, a West Acton business that connects over 600,000 sewers worldwide to discuss and learn about all aspects of sewing, had collected several boxes of patterns from well-known patternmakers such as Simplicity and Vogue. This year, under the same tent (literally) as the ARC sale, PatternReview ran its own sale of excess patterns, which also allowed the owner to meet up with several local (and not so local) members of the PatternReview community. PatternReview members were eager to introduce themselves to Ms Prakash, often by interesting names such as “bubbiesews” or “a7yrstitch.”
Of the PatternReview sale, Ms. Prakash noted on her blog (at https://sewing.patternreview.com): “So many PatternReview members came to the sidewalk sale, many of you wearing your handmade garments. I loved seeing your makes, hearing your stories, and having the chance to chat with you in person. I have missed this!”
The bookstore receives ARCs almost every day of the year. That steady drip adds up fast, and because ARCs are marketing tools rather than finished retail products, the store is not permitted to sell them for profit once the real book has been published. What The Silver Unicorn can do is charge a token amount and send every dollar somewhere it matters. That is the whole idea behind the ARC Sale: clear the shelves, and hand the proceeds to the Acton Food Pantry.
As West Acton resident Martha Rounds mounted her bike for the ride home, she reported, “It’s so much fun to see people buzzing like bees around books. I found a book for my granddaughters that they are going to love.” She said she also picked up a sewing pattern and was excited to have discovered an online community of people who love to sew.
The pricing has stayed refreshingly simple for years. One book is a two-dollar donation. Three books are five dollars. The sale is cash only, because, as the bookstore is quick to point out, this is not really a transaction, it is a donation with a book attached. Shoppers are welcome to add extra cash or non-perishable food on top of whatever they buy. This year, the ARC sale made about $2100, which, according to Paul Swydan, is “about the usual haul.”
The PatternReview sale of excess patterns followed the identical price structure, two dollars for one, five dollars for three, with all of its proceeds also going to the Acton Food Pantry. PatternReview was able to clean out several boxes, including designer patterns and a few books, to contribute about $300 more to the Food Pantry’s coffers. The event is a natural pairing of two small businesses that have accumulated too much of a good thing and have found a way to turn overstock into community support.
The ARC Sale is the kind of event Acton residents genuinely look forward to. It costs almost nothing to participate, it rewards curiosity, and it funnels real dollars toward neighbors who need help putting food on the table. A parking lot full of used-book and pattern bargain hunters can add up to serious civic good.
There is also a simpler pleasure to it. Advance copies often carry rougher covers, the occasional typo that will be fixed before publication, and sometimes a personal note from an editor or an author tucked inside. Readers who showed up early got first crack at titles that will not officially exist for weeks or months. Readers and sewers who showed up late still had fun digging through what was left, trading finds with neighbors, and catching up with friends, new and old, on the sidewalk.
Greg Jarboe is a member of the Acton Economic Development Committee and a frequent writer for the Acton Exchange.
Miriam Lezak is an Acton Exchange associate editor, calendar editor, and photo wrangler.
