Free Bookstore Opens At Wheaton Mall

WHEATON, MD — A brand new, free bookstore is coming to the Westfield Wheaton mall.

Velocity of Books, a Rockville-based nonprofit that promotes literacy by distributing free books, will open its first brick and mortar location at 11160 Veirs Mill Rd. on March 2. The 400-square-foot store will house thousands of books for kids and adults to take home.

"I'm over the moon with the outpouring of support we are getting to open up the first free bookstore in the county," said Carolyn Thompson, who founded Velocity of Books with her family in 2011. "People are eager to donate and excited to see books bring together so many people of different backgrounds."

The bookstore is part of a continuing partnership between Velocity of Books and Westfield Wheaton. In 2017, Velocity of Books held a summer reading literacy event at the mall and gave away more than 20,000 books to visitors, according to the nonprofit.