Archive: Business & Technology

Autumn Leaves Used Books is giving its customers a new option of payment when they trade-in their used books: Autumn Leaves Used Books currency. The currency comes in bills that are transferable and redeemable for used book purchases in the store. It functions like credit but can be passed on to anyone else easily and, like store credit, has no expiration date.

The Autumn Leaves Used Books currency is being issued in denominations of fifty cents, $1, $5, $10 and $20. Each bill has the portrait of an author who is popular in Ithaca; Rachel Carson, Emma Goldman, Mark Twain, W.E.B Du Bois and George Orwell, with quotations from those authors on the back of each bill.

“This currency is definitely inspired by Ithaca Hours,” owner Joseph Wetmore explained, “but it is equally inspired by the number of customers who want an easy way to share their used book credit with friends and family.”

Paul Strebel, President of the Ithaca Hours system added, “Complimentary currencies serve to strengthen and empower communities in a multitude of ways. And Ithaca Hours has always been grateful for Joe’s ongoing support and passion towards building a local living economy. I welcome the new Autumn Leaves currency as another building block to a sustainable community.”

"Ithaca HOURS, Autumn Leaves currency, Time Dollars and barter don't replace dollars; they replace lack of dollars,” said Paul Glover, founder of the Ithaca Hours system, “Now books are Ithaca's gold standard."


Ithaca's Mayor, Svante Myrick is enthusiastic about the new currency, “In Ithaca shopping locally is not simply a fad - or even a movement. It is in our culture. It's terrific to see Autumn Leaves continuing to add to that culture and expanding the use of Ithaca Hours with its very own currency.”

“In today’s competitive retail marketplace, small independent businesses need to be creative and resourceful to succeed.” Gary Ferguson, Executive Director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance explained, “The Autumn Leaves currency program is an innovative way to monetize used books and provide the public with a fun and functional way to buy and sell books.”

The bills were designed by Trish Van den Bergh, and printed locally by Arnold Printing.

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