Pennsylvania Curriculum Exchange

We have set about half of our science equipment on a 50% off table on the store porch. It is already marked at least 40% off retail, and now add ANOTHER 50% off!

WE MUST CLEAR OUT–PLEASE COME HELP!

The equipment includes a ton of items from physics curriculums, science kits, safety equipment, etc.

(Not included–Most biology equipment, microscopes, and glassware.)

We are open T/W/Sat 12-4

Sale goes until it’s all gone!

Thanks,

Julie

Pacebooks@live.com

717-432-9947

HOURS:

Effective immediately, we are open for an extra day–Saturday.

Hours are:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday 12-4

Other days may be available by appointment with 24-hours notice. I don’t take appointments on days I’m already open.

NEW FACE:

If you come in the store, you may notice a new person has joined me and Lisa. My daughter Sarah is in training with hopes of one day taking over the store! With 10 years experience as a software developer, she has lots of ideas for improving the efficiency of the business. Five years ago she wrote the programming that runs my checkout and consignment procedures. For some reason, she was horrified at my system relying on doing everything by hand with notecards 😂.

After 27 years in the business (22 here in PA), I’m starting to look toward that end point, so I’m thrilled she’s interested in having the business.

EMAIL LISTS OF BOOKS

I am happy to look up lists of books for people before they come in the store, to give them availability and pricing. But it is starting to become something of a problem, so I thought I would mention it on here.

During the summer, I receive about 20 lists a day by email. It can take about two hours to look everything up and respond to them every day. The results of this are… About 50% I hear nothing back, 25% aren’t interested or found it cheaper somewhere else, and 25% have me set the items aside to pick up. Of the ones set aside to be picked up, approximately 50% never show.

So it’s not really a good use of my time for 10 hours/week, when I’m already spending 30 hours a week outside of store hours just pricing consignments. I’d rather not cut off the service altogether as some people really rely on it because they are driving quite a distance or faithfully come look at what’s been set aside for them.

So some guidelines:

• If you’re just in the pondering stage, don’t send me a list. Ex.: “I’ve changed my mind about using that curriculum, so could you look up this new list for me now.” You could ask if I tend to have something you’re pondering–that’s fine. That’s not me looking anything up.
• My discounts on used items are standardized: 40% off retail on curriculum and 50% off on readers. Some items are cheaper, but no used items are more than that. No doubt you can find things cheaper at times online or eBay etc, but please do that research before you send me your list. Ex: “Thanks, but I found it cheaper elsewhere.”
• Contact me the week before you plan to come. I will hold items aside for one week. Contacting me a month ahead is worthless because my turnover is very high. Whatever I just told you is in inventory now may not be remotely correct in a month. Ex.: “Thanks, I’ll be by in a month or two to pick them up.” You can have books set aside further in advance, but they need to be paid for at the time of the order and there’s no return period available.

Books set aside for you do not have to be purchased. One of my goals for the store was for people to see things before they bought them. All I’m asking is that you show up to look at it.

CONSIGNMENT DROP OFF UPDATE

Consignments can be brought in any time I’m open. You don’t need to notify me ahead of time. We are still being choosy on what we take due to the massive volume that comes through the door, but there are definitely items we still need. You can click on the “consignment” tab for a general list of things we do and don’t take, but it’s not kept up to date because of the turnover. If you want to know before you come in, feel free to email me a picture of your books (a stack of spines is usually enough) and I can give you a basic of idea of what I can and can’t take at that moment. But that’s not required. I can sort through pretty quickly when you come in.

Generally, bringing a ‘car load’ is not a good idea (20-30 boxes). It’s usually an indication that you have a lot of out-of-date curriculum. Curriculum must be current and it must be homeschool branded (no public school or cyber school publishers) to be accepted. We also take games and manipulatives. No science equipment taken at this time (BTW, we have lots of microscopes).

The busy season starts now…and ramps up through August. I look forward to serving you and hope to see you in the store!

Thanks!

Julie Helms

PA Curriculum Exchange 

▪ 25 Ridge Road, Dillsburg, Pa 17019

▪ Email: PACEbooks@live.com

▪ 717-432-9947

▪ Open T/W/Sat 12-4

We are closed now through the holidays. We will reopen Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Our hours are T/W 12-4.

If you have an urgent need, you can email for an appointment with 24 hour notice. The store will be unheated though.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Julie Helms

PA Curriculum Exchange 

▪ 25 Ridge Road, Dillsburg, Pa 17019

▪ PACEbooks@live.com

▪ 717-432-9947

Keep us in mind when thinking of gifts for the kids. We have tons of games and manipulatives in a variety of subjects. We have art supplies and books on drawing. Also, a number of musical instruments were recently brought in.

Of course, we also have books that are perfect for gift giving (readers, novels, graphic novels, devotionals, etc). Consider our multiple shelves of Usborne, DK, and Kane Miller.

We also have Christmas-themed books in a bin on the center table for $1 each.

Pictures below of some of our games (If these don’t show up in your email, please click through to the blog post online).

CONSIGNMENT UPDATE:

This was a record-breaking fall for quantity of consignments brought in. The store is stuffed to the rafters. I can’t tell you, as a lover of books, how much this pains me, but we will need to drastically cut back on what can be accepted. I’ve already done quite a bit of turning items away, but it hasn’t been enough. There is no room!

If you click on the consignment page from the blog, you will see a list of what I have been limiting for the last year or two. So that will continue, along with the following: Bargain books (basically nonclassic readers, abridged classics, older editions of curriculum, anything from the dollar store, Ollie’s, Five Below, etc.– NOTHING more for Bargain), Singapore Math (Primary Math Series), almost all Abeka unless it has been updated in the last 3 years, Science kits and equipment, ACE, CLE teacher editions, and Rod and Staff (there are a few exceptions for CLE and R/S, mostly upper level texts and consumables.) No more Bible curriculums–they are terrible sellers. Very limited (mostly upper grades) of My Father’s World, Sonlight, and Heart of Dakota.

Here is what we will take (only current edition): Notgrass, MasterBooks, Apologia Science and Beautiful Feet. There are others, but those are the big sellers. Please feel free to email me a list or picture of your stacks of books if you’d like to know before you come out, if we can accept it.

HOLIDAY HOURS

We will be open for normal hours–T/W 12-4 until Dec 18. Then by appointment only until re-opening Jan 7.

I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas!

Julie Helms

PA Curriculum Exchange 

▪ 25 Ridge Road, Dillsburg, Pa 17019

▪ PACEbooks@live.com

▪ 717-432-9947

The store is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12-4. Appointments are available on other days with 24-hour notice. I don’t take appointments on store days.

We accept consignments year round. You can bring them in when we’re open.

Thanks!

Julie Helms

PA Curriculum Exchange 

▪ 25 Ridge Road, Dillsburg, Pa 17019

▪ PACEbooks@live.com

▪ 717-432-9947

▪ Open T/W 12-4

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Effective immediately:

OPEN Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 12-5

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PACE Books

25 Ridge Rd, Dillsburg, PA 17019

717-432-9947

PACEbooks@live.com

As some of you know, I have been limiting the consignments I’ve been accepting for the last year. But we have really reached a critical point of overload.

Because of this, I need to get even choosier about what I take. Additionally, I will no longer be accepting any books for the bargain section. I am in the process of converting 1/3 of the bargain section to regular books, because I’m desperate for the space. (More about bargain books below.)

This isn’t to say that I don’t need consignments brought in, I do. I am definitely looking for certain things that are hugely popular and I’m having problems keeping them in stock. I will list some things here that I currently do and do not need.

I am in need of (current edition only):

• Anything published by Master books
• Anything published by Notgrass and the readers they use
• Anything used by Classical Conversations
• Saxon math, fifth grade and up
• Apologia science (not Bible)

I’m accepting more than this, but it’s more hit or miss based on how much of a particular title I have in the store. Abeka and Bob Jones fit into this category. Classic novels, too–some titles I really need, and some I have 20 copies of. This is always fluctuating, so I’m happy to go through them when you bring them in.

Things I am currently not accepting, hopefully temporarily:

• Singapore primary math
• Horizons math teacher editions
• Life of Fred, except calculus and financial stewardship
• Science kits and equipment

Things I don’t accept (and it’s not likely to change. Please see a more comprehensive list under the Consignment tab on the website):

• Anything not current. That means it’s not the latest edition sold by the company
• Anything not a homeschool publisher, so no public school brands, no cyber school brands
• Anything from the dollar store, Ollies, Five Below, etc.
• Books on parenting, general Christian reading or Bible studies, Bibles, college texts, testing books(SAT, CLEP, AP etc)

Bargain Books

Because I am clearing out 1/3 of my bargain section, I will be selling those books removed for a quarter each. I won’t be running the usual quarter sale event like I’ve done in the past, but I will keep a table on the front porch with crates of bargain stuff for a quarter apiece, until they are all gone. I won’t be able to put it all out at once (it’s over 2,000 books) so I’ll constantly be adding to it. This starts tomorrow.

My hours for April are Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday 12 to 4

Thanks!

Julie

PACEbooks@live.com

717-432-9947

25 Ridge Rd/ Dillsburg/PA 17019

We will be open this coming week Tuesday and Wednesday, December 19 and 20th, 12-4 as usual. The store will be closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s and will reopen for regular hours on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. I will be available for appointments while I am closed, if you don’t mind slightly chilly shopping!

And here is why you might want to come in this week…I have been notified by several publishers of price increases starting January 1, 2024. So this will be the last week at the older prices.

Specifically, MasterBooks and Notgrass will have increases across the board. My usual percentage discounts remain the same, but on a higher price. Also of note, Horizon math workbooks…I have always sold this new at 5% off the publisher price. Alpha Omega (the publisher) has changed the contract and discounts are no longer allowed, and I must sell it at full retail. So each of those math books will go up several dollars on Jan 1. I am very well stocked on all three of these publishers if you’d like to grab any of those for a little bit cheaper this week.

Abeka and BJU press raise their prices annually, sometime between now and April. I have not been specifically notified on any of those.

Don’t forget we have lots of good reading books and a ton of games right now, if you are looking for some last-minute Christmas gifts.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Julie Helms

PA Curriculum Exchange 

▪ 25 Ridge Road, Dillsburg, Pa 17019

▪ PACEbooks@live.com

▪ 717-432-9947

▪ Open T/W 12-4