Kids Book Warehouse Opens Doors to Public

Itz Books, which carries childrens’ books for school-run sales in five Tampa Bay counties, is opening its new warehouse to the public Saturday.

At the grand opening celebration of Itz Books’ new location, 1843 C Gunn Highway, Odessa, you can purchase the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" or "Justin Bieber: Get The Scoop." Or something classic, like Dr. Seuss.

The company sells books to libraries and teachers and provides book fair wares to schools in Pasco, Hernando, Pinellas, Manatee and Hillsborough counties. It provides the wares and shelves for fairs and helps set them up.

Most of its business is done via orders from bulk buyers and schools, but owner Dolly DePagter said the new location will allow her to open her warehouse regularly to the public. She’s debating on whether to do it weekly or monthly.

DePagter is an Odessa resident and her children attend Pasco public schools. She leased 5,000 square feet and started moving into the warehouse, which she shares with International Granite Co., in June.  

The location contains not only the warehouse with book cases DePagter recently bought, but a lobby and media showroom in which DePagter can meet with customers and display samples.

"When I first started out, I didn't have cases,” she said. “I packed them up in boxes.”

DePagter’s career as a bookseller began in 1999, after she saw her daughter, Paige, reading copies of books by Usborne Books, an independent publisher.

She researched the publisher online and found out she could apply to sell books. She went to schools to see if they were interested in Usborne book fairs. She found they were unsatisfied with the vendor they were using, which was incorporating toys into their sales.

Her sales only included books and supplemental materials.

DePagter ran her business out of her house. She used tents and storage units and her garage to contain to contain her supplies.

“We used to be in a location where we couldn’t be open to the public,” she said.  

In July 2010, she started her own company and called it Itz Books. Her publisher offering has expanded. In addition to Usborne Books, she now carries books by HarperCollins, Scholastic and Townsend and other publishers.

But she still only offers books and the supplements.

If You Go:

Time: Saturday, July 16,  8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location: 1843 C Gunn Highway, Odessa (two doors down from the International Granite administration building.)

Who is invited: The public and media specialists.

What you can Do:

• Browse Itz' Books stocks of nonfiction and fiction works.

• Meet creators, including: Elise Leonard, who wrote the JUNKYARD DAN series; G.A. Teske, a fantasy writer; authort Wendy Hauver; artist Mark Anderson.

• Schedule book fairs.
• Tour the media showroom
• Enter for raffles