Once again, Turning the Page’s (TTP) bookstore, Carpe Librum, will be “popping up” in Chicago! Carpe Librum is our used book selling effort. Each year, the communities of Washington, D.C. and Chicago donate thousands of books to TTP that we sell at our bookstore. All proceeds go directly into Turning the Page, supporting the work we’ve done for over 19 years – strengthening communities by providing a bridge between families and schools for the benefit of students. Chicago’s pop-up proceeds will support TTP’s local Chicago programming in our six partner public schools, all located in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood.
Carpe Librum’s long term pop-up has been in operation for four years, and is located in downtown Washington, D.C. on 17th St. and K St. NW. We’ve had pop-up locations in both cities, and each one was greeted with excitement and enthusiasm by the communities. Our stores carry used books, CD’s and DVD’s, all donated by the community, which is what makes our bookstores so popular. You never know what you’ll find on their shelves, or, sometimes more interestingly, who donated it. We’ve carried books dating back to the 19th century, top selling books like Gone Girl and classics like George Orwell’s 1984. Each section of any of our stores remain fully stocked with books about travel, politics and history, as well as cookbooks, biographies, fiction, children’s books and so much more! We receive regular donations from various book drives held throughout each city. Many of our donations also come from individual members of the community, and this is where it gets interesting, according to Operations and Logistics Manager Christian Green, “I’ve found cookbooks with little notes about what a mother will make for her daughter’s graduation, airplane tickets that give insight about where the book has traveled, wrapped gifts, hand-written eulogies, cash and gift cards – you just never know what you’ll find.”
Carpe Librum’s highly anticipated Chicago pop-up location’s grand opening is May 30th and it will stay open through the month of June. TTP partnered with the Chicago Loop Alliance in securing our location in the downtown Chicago loop area in Block 37 on the pedway level. The store’s hours can be found here on our website. If you’re in the Chicago area during the month of June, don’t miss the opportunity to stop in and browse our selection – you really never know what gem you may unearth.