For the next two years or so, the "purple building" in Ben Avon will be home to Gibson's Book Collection.

Lifelong book collector Samuel Gibson hopes to sell more than 10,000 volumes he has collected during visits to book sales, estate sales and bookstores.

The store on Church Avenue had its grand opening Tuesday.

Gibson believes he owns about 15,000, but his wife, Ella, puts the estimate at closer to 20,000. Both agree that when they moved from Oakland to Kilbuck, their possessions included 500 packing cartons full of books.

So, why is he selling them now?

"I'm 78," said the retired campus and community minister. "We have two sons, but I don't want to impose on them the eventual responsibility for caring for all those books."

Most of the books will be priced at $5, while a few shelves of nearly new volumes will sell for half their cover prices. Several hundred rarer books have been individually priced, Gibson said.

Unexpected treasures are still turning up on the store's shelves.

Gibson recently came across a first-edition copy of "Giant," a 1952 novel by Edna Ferber that was the basis for a Hollywood movie starring James Dean. Other finds include a first edition of Carl Sandburg's "Chicago Poems" and a rare copy of J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens."

He and a friend spent several weeks building the wooden shelves that line the walls of the store and arranging the books in categories. His collection contains few mysteries or children's books.

He plans to retain his personal library of about 5,000 volumes, while his wife will keep 2,000 to 3,000 books, many dealing with women's history.

Gibson has a degree in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technhology, a master of divinity from Yale and a doctorate in education from the University of Pittsburgh. After devoting almost 30 years to ministry work, he spent 15 years placing foreign and American students in high school study-abroad programs.

Ben Avon's small commercial district on Church Avenue takes up just one block. Longtime residents might remember the purple building as the former location for Espy's grocery store.

Why purple?

Gibson, who has owned the building for many years, said the exterior had been brown and was badly in need of painting. "Purple is my favorite color."

The nearby businesspeople see an advantage accruing from the store's memorable color.

John Kicher told Gibson that customers have less trouble finding his printery now. "He tells people to look for the purple building, and he's right next door."

Gibson's Book Collection, 7119 Church Ave., will be open 2 to 8 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Its regular hours will be 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Customers also can call 412-761-5190 for an appointment.