Half Price Books will be opening its brand new Dublin store on Thursday, March 3rd. The Dublin store, located at 7898 Dublin Boulevard, will mark the bookseller’s fourth location in California, and its 112th store in the United States. The new store will be California’s largest Half Price Books location, occupying roughly 10,800 square feet in the Dublin Retail Center. The store will celebrate its official opening with free tote bags and $5 Half Price Books gift cards for the first 100 people at the store from Thursday, March 3rd through Monday, March 7th. One lucky shopper will win a $100 gift card everyday during this special grand opening celebration.

“Half Price Books is pleased to continue its expansion in California,” said Kathy Doyle Thomas, executive vice president of Half Price Books. “We’re excited to expand into Dublin and are happy to offer an attractive option for people needing extra cash and for those looking for cheaper forms of entertainment.”

Half Price Books opened its first California store in the late 1980s. In December, sales were up 7.8 percent at Half Price Books locations in the state. During the grand opening celebration, Thursday through Monday, the Dublin location will be open from 9AM to 11PM. The store’s regular hours are Monday through Saturday, 9AM to 11PM, and Sunday, 10AM to 9PM.

From March 3rd through March 31st, all Half Price Books locations serve as drop off sites to collect new and used children’s books, and for the first time, Half Price Books will match each book donated during the drive. Half Price Books employees sort through the books to make sure children will receive only quality new and gently-used books. Giveaway events, where the books will be distributed, will be scheduled shortly after the conclusion of the drive, and Half Price Books will invite local non-profit groups to pick up the books. Last year, more than 9,000 books were donated in California and since the program’s inception in 1998, more than 2 million books have been collected nationwide for children to share and enjoy.

“During a tough economy when families are trying to make ends meet, buying books can’t always be a priority,” said executive vice president Thomas. “At Half Price Books, we feel all children deserve a book of their own. We’re proud to host the Half Pint Library Book Drive for the 13th year and look forward to providing books to the community.”

In many cases, children are getting their first take-home book through the Half Pint Library program, which is an integral stepping stone for lifelong learning. Studies by the Institute of Education Sciences and related research show significant correlations between children’s access to printed materials in the home and literacy, as well as performance in school.

About Half Price Books

Half Price Books is the largest family-owned new and used bookstore chain, with 112 retail locations in 16 states. Stores are open seven days a week and buy and sell new and used books, magazines, comics, records, CDs, DVDs and collectible items. Half Price Books has been dedicated to environmental and literacy efforts for more than 35 years by supporting hundreds of projects including the annual Half Pint Library Book Drive, which provides hospitals, clinics and pediatric centers nationwide with book donations collected at all store locations. In addition, Half Price Books is a founding contributor to Laura Bush’s National Book Festival, as well as a supporter of the National Center for Family Literacy and Feed the Children. For more information about Half Price Books, please visit www.hpb.com.