After coming to an abrupt end in 2023, a treasured Des Moines tradition has started a new chapter — this time, with a new partner.
For over 60 years, the Planned Parenthood Book Sale was one of the largest volunteer-run charity book sales in the nation. What began humbly in 1961 grew into a twice-yearly operation that attracted hundreds of volunteers, mountains of book donations and raised more than $10 million for Planned Parenthood North Central States’ education programs.
But after the City of Des Moines moved to acquire its longtime warehouse through eminent domain as part of the Second Avenue Corridor project, Planned Parenthood chose to sell the building to avoid a legal battle. The organization decided to end the sale after determining that securing a new warehouse would generate less revenue for Iowa education programs than investing the eminent domain proceeds into an endowed fund. It announced that its fall 2023 sale at the Iowa State Fairgrounds would be the last.
“Planned Parenthood made the decision to reallocate resources used to manage the book sale in order to make meaningful, long-term investments in sexual and reproductive health care and education in Iowa," the organization wrote in a March 2025 statement.
But longtime volunteers weren't ready to let the event go. A group of about 10 dedicated organizers banded together to form Iowa’s Biggest Book Sale, a new, entirely volunteer-run nonprofit meant to revive the beloved tradition.
“Not having that community feeling was difficult for a lot of us, and we wanted to continue our impact,” said Iowa’s Biggest Book Sale President Madalyne Rutledge. “We knew that the book sale had made such a big impact on women’s education, health and resources, and even beyond that, just the literacy and education part.”
The sale returned this November with a new partnership with the Young Women’s Resource Center (YWRC), a Des Moines-based nonprofit that supports, educates and advocates for girls and young women, with the blessing of Planned Parenthood.
"We are delighted that the beloved Iowa tradition continues and that future proceeds from the sale will now support Young Women’s Resource Center’s work to educate and advocate for young women and girls," Planned Parenthood wrote in a statement.
Rutledge said the return of the sale prompted a “flood” of donations.
“In addition to dedicated, committed volunteers who have been doing this for decades, people also had books to give — stacks and stacks of books,” she said. “When we were gone for those two years, people literally hoarded books in their basements. They told us, ‘We knew you’d come back eventually.’ Cars would pull up filled with donations because they wanted us to have them.”
This fall’s event was smaller than in years past. Held at the Elwell Family Food Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, it featured about 260 tables and more than 100,000 items, ranging from books of every genre to records, games and puzzles.
Organizers estimate that next year’s spring sale, which will return to its longtime home in the 4-H Exhibits Building at the fairgrounds, will be several times larger, with roughly 950 tables and half a million items for sale.
YWRC Senior Communications and Community Engagement Director Erin Moran said that despite the smaller scale, the sale feels just as it always has in many ways.
“I’ve heard a few people say it feels like a hole has been filled,” she said. “Just walking through the door and seeing the same category signs that have been on the tables for decades — that felt like a homecoming.”
On Nov. 7, the first day of free admission, a line wrapped around the building before doors opened. Among the visitors that day were longtime attendees like Cortez Nichols, who said he’s built up his home library thanks to the sale, as well as newcomers like Kenzie Wyatt.
“I love to read, and I'm happy about where my money is going,” Wyatt said, a heavy basket at her feet filled with books ranging from Toni Morrison novels to the Harry Potter series. “I buy most of my books used online, and I’d rather support a local bookstore, but that’s not always financially accessible. So I really like this concept.”
Rutledge said the new partnership honors both the sale’s legacy and its next chapter.
“With the Young Women’s Resource Center, we wanted that new partnership and that new energy — but we also wanted to bring the nostalgia back,” she said. “Everybody has just been ecstatic we’re here.”
