Volunteers help move 150,000 books from condemned store

A condemned building once full of books is now empty thanks to the helping hands of the community. Nearly 100 people helped Daughtry’s Old Books on Front Street pack up Saturday.

The volunteers moved more than 150,000 books to a storage facility. The city condemned the Front Street building two weeks ago due to structural concerns. Since then the store has been collecting hundreds of boxes preparing for the move. Store owner Gwenyfar Rohler says the support is overwhelming.

“In December we were watching ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ at Kenan (auditorium), and it got to that point at the end of the movie where everybody showed up when George needed money, and it’s that big emotional moment in the movie, and I was watching it going, ‘Wow. I wonder what that must feel like,'” Rohler said. “And really, less than two months later, I know exactly what that feels like. And it’s amazing. It really is.”

The books will sit in storage until Rohler finds a new location.