The Skidompha Secondhand Book Shop in downtown Damariscotta, which has been closed since March because of the pandemic, is now open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  It’s located on the river at 17 Backstreet Landing.

Safety protocols are in place to help protect customers, donors, and volunteers.

Anyone in the shop over the age of 2 will be required to wear a mask – no exceptions -- and will be expected to maintain social distance of at least 6 feet. The shop can accommodate five customers at a time.

Donated books and other items will be accepted from 8-10 a.m.,  Monday through Saturday at the back door only, with a limit of one box or bag per donor. These restrictions are designed to help protect the volunteers who sort and price donations, and reflect the fact that donations are being managed by a smaller crew than usual.

As always, donors are asked not to leave their donations outside. Even a few hours of exposure can damage books so that they cannot be sold.

According to Rosie Bensen, co-manager of the shop, “Our volunteers have missed the shop and our customers. And I know that some of our regular customers have been looking forward to visiting the shop again. We’re happy to welcome everyone. We’ve given careful consideration to our safety procedures, and we ask that people observe them as we do our best to keep the shop open.”

The book shop is a major fundraiser for Skidompha Public Library. It offers thousands of books as well as puzzles, music CDs, and movies on tape and DVD. All items are donated, all staff members are volunteers, and all proceeds support the library’s collections and programs

For more information, phone the shop at 563-7807 or  the library at 563-5513, or visit the book shop’s website, skidomphbookshop.org.