We were thrilled with the turnout of our soft opening of our free bookstore at the Newton Friends Meeting House (808 Cooper Street in Camden). Each Saturday since our opening, we’ve had more and more guests browsing our shelves! The Free Books Project (TFBP) will be there every Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM, so please come out, grab a book (or 10), and say hello! Our books are free… but, since we’re in New Jersey, bags are 10 bucks, hahaha. Just kidding (about the bags).
If you’re interested in volunteering for our Saturday Bookstore Staff, please use this form and email camdencountypopuplibrary@gmail.com with any questions.
We need your help to get the word out. The free bookstore is for everyone, everywhere, all at once. (Seriously, if you haven’t seen the award-winning movie Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, check it out.) It’s such a calm environment with a globe you have to see to believe and a piano just waiting for someone to give it a play. There is space and supplies for activities for both kids and adults to do, such as puzzles and coloring. We have thousands of books to choose from and a great selection of books in Spanish, and you can enjoy hot coffee, freshly baked goods, and other refreshments like pretzels and water, all for free. You might even choose to decorate a placement for a local soup kitchen to use when serving their next meal. Talk about making it easy to put a smile on someone’s face.
On opening day, we probably had about 40-or-so guests through the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. Our board members were there, helpful volunteers, friends-of-friends, you, dear readers. Trixie, daughter of CamCare famous Flossie and the model for our original Camden County Pop Up Library logo, came by. Legend has it her head is still buried in a book. Nataly and her family were there, too. She is one of our original Ark stewards. Even my daughter Jessica and her friend Emily stopped by to say hello.
While there is so much to do to maximize this opportunity to give books away, we have a lot to celebrate, too. And you, dear reader, are a part of this, so thank you.
Tom Martin, Executive Director
3 Responses
Hello Tom,
Was great seeing the announcement on the web site
JUst picking it up– You really had a great turnout-especially when it was sort of a chilly dismal rainy day
I have some books that still are being given to me.
A rather nice collection for Children : Teens and adults!
Congratulations!
Thank you so much! Please, drop them by the free bookstore any Saturday you’re free!
Again Congratulations