One of our most unique ways Turning the Page raises funds is through our own used bookstores and popup shops. At Carpe Librum, we sell gently used books, CDs and DVDs donated to us by the community. These pop-ups are an extra opportunity to engage the community at large to learn more about our programs, schools, and communities we work in. In 2019, for example, more than 40,000 individual customers supported our stores and learned about Turning the Page’s dedication to student enrichment and literacy development.
Because of COVID-19, all of our events planned for the spring and summer this year were postponed or cancelled. Despite these challenges, we’ve still been able to host a handful of these sales. We know that so many businesses have faced their own obstacles and are awed by the creativity, flexibility, perseverance, and resiliency of these organizations. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with these partners and wanted to take the time to thank them and highlight their own work. They have helped us during an extremely challenging time and we appreciate their collaboration and support of our mission!
Our DC Partners
WashREIT
In many ways, Carpe Librum’s current DC presence is anchored at 1220 19th Street NW: our Dupont store. Though the store itself is not open to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to WashREIT’s generous partnership, we have been able to continue hosting weekly book sales on the plaza outside. WashREIT’s support has been integral to Carpe Librum’s continued presence in DC over the past several months.
Georgetown Main Street
Our three sales this summer with Georgetown Main Street, which took place in the Chase Bank parking lot at Wisconsin and P, were a great way for us to bring high-quality, gently-used books to the Georgetown neighborhood‒and we’re not done yet! We’ll be back on October 25th, thanks to Georgetown Main Street’s enthusiastic partnership.
Rose Park Farmers Market
A new partner for Carpe Librum this year, the Rose Park Farmers Market has hosted us several times, each with great success. Participating in the Rose Park Farmers Market introduced Turning the Page’s great work in the community to a new neighborhood, which we couldn’t have done without such a valuable partnership. We’ll be back at Rose Park on October 21st and October 28th, 3pm-7pm (26th and O Streets NW).
Rosslyn BID
Each year, Carpe Librum’s biggest sale is Rosslyn Reads, an annual event that takes place in Central Place Plaza in Arlington, and usually involves upwards of 15,000 items. In Spring 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced to postpone this event. Carpe Librum is fortunate that through our partnership with the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, we were able to host a scaled-back version of Rosslyn Reads this fall. The Rosslyn BID’s enthusiasm and stringent attention to the safety of both organizations’ staff and of the community made this event a huge success.
Capitol Riverfront
We have been fortunate enough to host two book sales in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood’s Canal Park. Capitol Riverfront has been a hardworking and supportive partner, and has gone the extra mile to help forge connections between Carpe Librum and the Navy Yard community.
Golden Triangle BID
Carpe Librum’s Dupont location, where we continue to host weekly outdoor book sales, is located in the Golden Triangle neighborhood of DC. The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District has been a valuable marketing partner for us during this time, consistently engaging with us on social media to bring information about Carpe Librum’s sales to their followers. We couldn’t reach nearly as much of the community without their help!
Denizens Brewing Co.
Our collaboration with Denizens this summer kicked off Carpe Librum’s foray into book events during the pandemic. Their flexibility and patience was essential to planning a safe, fun, and productive event.
Individual support
We also wanted to acknowledge two individuals who have donated to us over the years – and never stopped working with us even during this challenging time:
Catherine Ribnick: As the representative for a Van Ness condominium, Catherine’s diligence in ensuring that our book donation bin is consistently filled has brought in thousands of donations to Carpe Librum over the years. We are grateful for her committed partnership.
Patricia Ikonen: For the past several years, Pat Ikonen has worked to coordinate donations from the library at her Van Ness condominium building to benefit Carpe Librum. She has dedicated much of her time to sharing Turning the Page’s message within her community, and her efforts to ensure a steady and high-quality supply of donations has made a huge impact on Turning the Page’s work over the years. Carpe Librum is fortunate to have a partner in Pat—her support has been essential.
Our Chicago Partners
Music Box Theatre
The first partner we thought of in Chicago was no doubt the Music Box Theatre. We had an indoor sale in their lounge on February 24th, right before the pandemic hit, and had planned for more with them this summer. While we had to postpone sales, they were able to sell some of our Curated By Carpe Librum (CBCL) packages along with their concessions. On October 4th, we were able to hold our first outdoor, socially distant sale of the year in the outdoor garden. Don’t miss our last sale of the year this Sunday October 18th at the Music Box Lounge (3733 N Southport Ave), 12pm – 5pm!
Middlebrow
We’d never partnered with the fine folks at Middlebrow before, but knowing how civically and social-justice minded the brewery is, we knew they would be a perfect partner! They were able to sell some of our CBCL packages alongside their delicious, weird, experimental beers and tasty pizzas.
Northcenter Farmers Market
The Northcenter Farmers Market is one of the oldest farmers markets on the North Side of Chicago. We were thrilled to partner with them at one of the last markets of the year on October 10th. The market is in an amazing space in a new pedestrian plaza on Belle Plaine and we had a beautiful, sunny fall day! We’re back at the Farmers Market, tomorrow, Saturday October 17th! (8am – 1pm, enter at 4100 N Damen Ave)
Thank you again to all of our partners and we’re looking forward to bringing even more Carpe Librum pop-ups to a neighborhood near you in 2021!
The sale never stops with Curated By Carpe Librum! Order a package of books – we deliver nationwide! Proceeds from these programs support our family engagement programs.