Library Bookstore Opens

The Friends of the Calabasas Library , the new bookstore that offers used books for sale along with art, crafts and jewelery by local residents.

candidate Fred Gaines was there to welcome browsers. Gaines said that he has been on the Calabasas Library Commission for over 12 years, and was instrumental in the building of the new library in 2008. 

Gaines was full of praise for the new space. "It's the room we always envisioned," he said, "It's a great addition to the library, and our Friends have done a tremendous amount of work over the years. Now they have a fantastic place to meet."

Friend of the library Sally Fick said that she's volunteered there for two years, and that the new bookstore was "a thousand times better" than the space they had used previously.

The arts, crafts and jewelry items for sale in the store are all purchased for the Library by Lorraine Morick of the City Arts Council. "It went from being just a used bookstore to a beautiful boutique," she said. Local photographer Jim Brammer was at the store, showcasing work from a recent trip he took to Tuscany. When he's not shooting rustic scenes, Brammer said he photographs local residents at special events, and has an open studio in Tarzana. Work was also on display from Barbara Macedo, who creates jewellery, and Ellen Pangarliotas, a knitter who also accepts commissions.

Many books donated to the library will ultimately end up at Folio. Kerrie Mierop, who oversees both the Friends volunteers and the bookstore, said that "the library gets first dibs" on the donations, and duplicate copies of books already in the library's collection go to the bookstore. The store currently charges between 50 cents and a dollar for paperbacks, and two dollars for hardcovers. The artists donate a sizable portion of their profits to the library. Mierop said that "All the money here goes to things like the kids' summer reading program, as well as adult programs like yoga once a month."

Calabasas resident Chana Harris stopped by with her daughter, Erin. "We're always reading and we each belong to a book club", said Harris. Her daughter said that "it gives us an opportunity to read stuff you don't normally get to read. For 50 cents a book, you can't go wrong." Harris agreed. "Tt's a smörgåsbord," she said. Harris had picked up British novelist Zadie Smith's On Beauty and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union; for two dollars and change, that's an absolute steal.

Folio at the Calabasas Library, 200 Civic Center Way, Calabasas, CA 91302, 818-225-7616.