2026 Stand Up Friends Spotlight #1: Bemidji

Friends volunteers responsible for used book sales often swap versions of the same gut-wrenching tale. Almost everyone has priced vintage titles or rare editions for only a fraction of their true worth, learning of this mistake only after it was too late.

The Friends of the Bemidji Public Library have a safeguard against these missteps in the form of Mick Lee. Mick devotes hours each week to thoroughly researching, pricing, listing and shipping books donated for Red Door Bookstore.

In October 2022, Mick established an eBay online bookstore, which the Friends now run in conjunction with the brick-and-mortar Red Door Bookstore inside Bemidji Public Library. Inventory is rarely lacking – and Mick himself is part of the reason why. He regularly collects books from local Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapters and from the homes of residents who have downsized or passed away. He even goes so far as to store these materials in his own garage until he has the opportunity to vet each title for high-value discoveries.

Mick’s toil has certainly paid dividends. Over the past four years, the Friends have sold 800 items online, generating an additional $13,400 toward what the organization passes to the library each year to supplement programs and collection budgets.

“There is no way this would have been possible without Mick’s generous donation of time and knowledge,” said board member Denise Johnson. “He often likens it to fishing by saying ‘You might not always get a catch, but sometimes you get a BIG one!’”