Crystal, MN (April 5, 2007)—Half Price Books, the nation's largest family owned new and used bookstore chain, in conjunction with the grand opening of their newest location in Crystal, Minnesota on April 26, wants to know what you treasure. The company wants you to submit a photo of yourself and your favorite book, music, movie, newspaper, video game or comic book along with the story about why you keep it close to your heart. Whether it's a kitschy album from the '70s or a first edition printing of Tom Sawyer, Half Price Books knows that every piece has a unique tale. The treasure hunt site goes live on April 16, 2007 at www.halfpricebooks.com and will stay live until May 4, 2007. Only Minnesota residents are allowed to participate.

"Minneapolis and St. Paul are consistently ranked within the top 10 literate cities in the U.S," explains Kathy Doyle Thomas, executive vice president of Half Price Books. "Our Minneapolis and St. Paul stores consistently have a great selection of rare and out-of-print books. This online opportunity will show everyone around the world what this market holds dear."

Interested Minnesotans can post a photo of themselves with their favorite book, music, movie, newspaper, video game or comic book at www.halfpricebooks.com with a brief description explaining why they have kept the item all these years and why they wouldn't dream of giving it up. They can e-mail their photo and information directly to treasures@halfpricebooks.com.

"There are many reasons why people hang on to these kinds of things," says Thomas. "For example, it might be a Betty Crocker cookbook that you and your mother used to cook with, your childhood copy of Goodnight Moon, an unusual coffee table book from your college days, a rare or special edition book or an autographed book. It could be your Partridge Family record album or a favorite video game. Whatever it is, we want to hear your stories."

The top submissions will win $100 gift card to Half Price Books. Most entries (stories and photos) will be displayed on the HPB Web site.

Half Price Books newest location opens April 26, at 5600 West Broadway in Crystal, Minnesota. The store hours are Monday through Sunday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. This location is Half Price Books' sixth store in Minnesota, where the company has maintained a presence since 2002. The Crystal store will be 6,500 square feet.

Grand opening events kick off at 9 a.m., Thursday, April 26 and Crystal mayor ReNae Bowman will shelve the last book and then cut the ribbon to officially open the store for business. The first 100 customers through the door will receive special Half Price Books tote bags containing gift cards. Everyone will get at least a $5 gift card but one random, and lucky, customer will receive a gift card worth $500.

Other grand opening activities include:

–Friday, April 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Free lunch Friday! Customers are invited to shop during their lunch hour and receive a pizza lunch.

–Saturday, April 28, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Dance with the Book Worm. BW, the Half Price Books Bookworm costume character, will be on-hand to dance in the parking lot with patrons.

–Sunday, April 29, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Half Price Books 35th Birthday Celebration. BW will serve cake and take pictures with children visiting the store. In addition, every kid will receive a copy of the Half Price Books Say Goodnight to Illiteracy storybook as a special gift from BW.