Summer is fast approaching. What’s on your summer reading list?
Soon you may have more time off from work or school. Perhaps you’ll forgo traveling because of the pandemic and spend your vacation reading on your favorite beach or poolside at a hotel staycation.
You can start your summer reading at Village Books & Music. It’s the Friends of the Library of Hawaii (FLH) pop-up bookstore at Ward Village. The store, previously home to Pier 1 Imports, is stocked with used books that are donated to the nonprofit organization. Everything from Hawaiiana to biographies, children stories and cookbooks, and literary classics and hard-to-find books that are out of print.
“The bookstore promotes education and literacy,” says Nainoa Mau, FLH’s executive director. “Books go back in the hands of readers instead of being tossed into our landfills.”
Friends of the Library of Hawaii's executive director Nainoa Mau.
You can find great bargains and you’ll be helping a good cause. Books are minimally priced and the money goes to help the Hawaii State Public Library System.
FLH usually raises money through their annual book sales at McKinley High School and Washington Middle School. But those events have been canceled since the start of the pandemic.
To minimize the spread of COVID-19, only a limited number of people at a time can enter the store. Before entering, they must have their temperature checked and sanitize their hands. Donated items are quarantined for three days before being released for sale. If you’d rather shop from the comfort and safety of home, you can buy some items on the FLH website. “We want to keep everyone safe,” says Mau.
The Friends of the Library of Hawaii's bookstore will be open at Ward until early June.
Books aren’t the only things you can buy. There’s a variety of other items, including art pieces such as paintings and ceramics and collector’s items like POGs, sports cards, and stamps. “That’s what’s exciting about the bookstore,” says Mau. “It’s a fun place to browse and see what we bring out each day.”
The bookstore has more than just books. Find CDs, records, art, collectibles, and more.
In addition to the store’s CD collection, one of the most popular items is vinyl records. “Vinyl has come back in such a big way,” says Mau, “We can’t keep up with restocking them. There are return customers who come regularly just for vinyl.”
More book time, less screen time.
The bookstore will be open until the first week of June. For more information, including hours of operation and ways to volunteer or donate items, visit the FLH website.
