Book lovers of all ages came last weekend to refresh their bookshelves with gently used and affordable books
From poetry to art, fiction, and non-fiction, rows of books covered tables last weekend for The Friends of the Malibu Library annual book sale. The theme, “Home For the Holidays,” is not only an event for book enthusiasts, it’s an opportunity for the community to come together and give used books a new home.
“This is not just a sales event; this is something that people in the community look forward to all year long,” Friends of the Malibu Library President Bonnie Saito said. “We also sell to booksellers throughout the year.”
The event sells gently used books from all genres, mostly for $1; rare and first edition books. The event also had gift baskets with specific themes and categories for sale.
With audiobooks and Kindles being accessible, there’s something special about reading a physical book, and Saito expressed what books mean to her.
“I think people like the sensation of the book — to me it’s memories of reading to my child, being read to as a child, and I like something to cuddle up with, a book,” Saito said.
Saito and FOTML Treasurer Yvonne Tang said the book sale used to be at the Malibu Courthouse, but since they have the bookstore that is open all year round, they organize the annual book sales inside the library.
“A lot of our inventory was sold monthly, whereas before, it was just one big sale,” Tang said. “Since our books are only a dollar, sometimes students from Pepperdine buy them because we have a lot of classics, and those are assigned readings, and for a dollar, they can write in the margins and take notes, and that’s the way I liked to study.”
Saito and Tang both emphasized the importance of how much work the volunteers do.
“We really appreciate everyone, and to get this show on the road, we’ve had so many committees; we have the publicity committee, the food committee, the basket committee, the decoration committee, I can go on and on; so there’ssomething here for everyone,” Saito said. “It becomes almost like a family.”
The Friends’ bookstore, a nonprofit business and the only bookstore in Malibu, uses its profits to support children, teen, and adult programs the library provides for the community. During normal operations, most books are listed for just $1.
The group raises funds for the library and community programs through sales generated by its bookstore.
The programs currently funded listed on the website include Colors and Connection, snacks for programs such as Dungeons and Dragons, and caffeine for the Caffeinated Verse. Emergency supplies are also supported by funds in case the county cannot provide.
“The county sponsors almost everything here, but at the last minute, [when] you’re trying to do an oragami project, and you don’t have a piece of string, we step in,” Tang said.
The Friends of the Malibu Library, one of the longest-running nonprofits in Malibu, celebrated its 45th anniversary last year and continues its dedication to supporting Malibu Library and enriching the lives of community members of all ages. Formed in 1978, the independent all-volunteer group is still guided by founding members who serve on its board and volunteer across its bookstore, community programs, and events.
“I just want to say the staff in this library is just phenomenal; we cannot do this without the support of the staff and their creativity,” Tang said.
Thanks to the children’s book donations, the Friends have had the unique opportunity to share their treasured bounty with Esperanza Elementary School in LA County. Volunteers had transported truckloads of books sufficient to completely stock the school’s newly renovated library as well as provide books for individual classrooms and directly to the students.
The bookstore is located inside the Malibu Library at 23519 West Civic Center Way. For library hours visit lacountylibrary.org/malibu-library.
To learn more about The Friends of the Malibu Library bookstore, upcoming events, and opportunities to support the 46-year-old nonprofit, visit friendsofthemalibulibrary.com and find us on Facebook and Instagram.