Carpe Librum Pop-Up Enlivens Falls Church, Advances Student Achievement

Seize the day. And the book!

On Sunday, Nov. 8, local education nonprofit Turning the Page (TTP) brought their “Carpe Librum” pop-up to town showcasing “gently used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl records” for sale on the sunlit deck at Tatte Bakery and Cafe near the corner of Broad and West Streets. 

The Latin phrase carpe librum literally translates to “seize the book” or “enjoy the book” – a play on the traditional emphatic phrase “seize the day,” or carpe diem.

TTP “works one-on-one with parents and caregivers,” to offer critical resources, and host programming to improve educational outcomes for elementary and middle school students,” the organization says. By “maximizing parents’ involvement in their children’s learning progress,” TTP works with families to strive for their kids’ success. The organization’s mission is to serve public school families in D.C.’s Wards 1,5, 7, and 8. 

All sales proceeds from TTP’s Carpe Librum pop-ups are dedicated to funding this mission. “We host outdoor pop-up book sales in the D.C. area throughout the spring, summer, and autumn,” TTP says. “We aim to build a community of parents, caregivers, public schools, and community partners, leading to improved academic performance and social-emotional well-being.”

On the spacious deck of Tatte, The Falls Church Independent spoke with two of TTPs staff working the sales table. We wanted to learn the story behind TTPs pop-ups and how their nonprofit operations work.

“So we bring offerings out, get kids free books, kind of give them a literary education, do events, that kind of thing to raise awareness of the importance of reading and to help the children in D.C. schools,” TTP’s Jack Pollins explained.

We were curious how often TTP will come to the City of Falls Church. “About once-a-month in Falls Church,” Pollins said. “But we also have sales throughout the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.” However, “a little less so, like, in November and December because of the weather, but we try to do the outdoor sales as much as possible.”

TTP currently has one brick-and-mortar bookstore at McPherson Square and one at L’Enfant Plaza, Collins said, with all the volumes donated from the public. The group also has a warehouse and processing center in Hyattsville, Md., “where we bring the books and sort through them to make sure they're in their correct categories. And then we bring them out to either the store or to these sales.”

TTP was launched in 1996, TTP’s Isabella Muehlinghaus, a Bladensburg, Md. employee of two years, told us. 

We asked Muelinghaus how she got into the book biz. “Well, my mother's a librarian, so I've grown up with books my whole life,” she said. “And I was in the process of trying to leave the restaurant industry and I saw this listing and was really pleased because I love community work and stuff like that and, especially, knowing that it goes to a good cause.”

What message would Muelinghaus like to get out to the people of Falls Church? Besides the proceeds going to a good cause, she said, “you’re helping out kids in the 7th and 8th Wards – or the less fortunate parts of D.C. – to get lots of good books and things. Also, we have a really nice selection. I would say, personally, if you’re not just looking to help out with charity and everything, we have a really great selection of books, CDs, DVDs, on a daily basis. Since they’re coming from people’s homes, we have a really broad selection and we try our best when we’re coming to the Falls Church area to bring different genres each time, since we’re only here once a month.”

“With science and politics and that sort of thing, for example, our warehouse, won't put out books published earlier than maybe 2022, I believe. So they're curated to a degree to make sure you're getting the freshest stock, the most understandable, and not like moldy and torn, etc.” 

We were curious what genre of literature Muelinghaus enjoys the most. “I have found myself really loving the mystery and thriller section as I’ve been working here,” she said. “I grew up on a lot of horror movies and stuff. But not so much horror books. But I found some really great pieces…. The author of Fight Club [Charles Palahniuk] has a book, Haunted, and I’ve gotten that copy from here. Great, great book.”

“So, this space has really allowed me to delve more into finding horror novels and things. Or even, if there’s someone who brings up a book and they’re like, “Oh, I’ve been looking for this copy” – like just that small engagement with them…. It’s definitely about the conversation with people who are looking for something, or, when we like similar books.”

Muelinghaus said she’s very happy with her job. “Oh yeah, I love it,” she said. “It’s fun to see what people are wanting to take home and what they find, because I can't see everything that gets put out all the time, and we don't have a full catalog. So it really is a surprise for us sometimes too.”

Asked if she thought people are reading less these days, Muelinghaus said, “Actually, I’d say in the past two years, we’ve had an uptake in our physical media, such as our CDs and DVDs and things…. But our books are still doing really amazing.”

“And even in the younger generations – like, I'm on the older end of Gen Z – but I still see a lot of my peers come out. We'll do these pop-up sales on college campuses once a semester, and we’re like, ‘Oh, yeah!’ We sell a whole bunch of books. And it's not even just for study and research. I'll have conversations with younger folks and it's really nice to see parents bringing their adolescent children or their little kids and seeing them say, ‘Oh my god, Mommy. There's a book sale!’ And they'll come running over.” 

“I think when we're offering spaces for kids to get books at an affordable price – and also with the economy being so rough – not a lot of parents can afford to buy books for their kids,” Muelinhaus added. “And libraries aren't always as accessible…. So I think when there are more spaces like these for kids to get books at a cheaper rate or programs like Turning the Page that allow for parents to get books for their kids for free, it opens up that possibility for the kids to know that reading is actually fun. It's just as fun as being on the Internet, or on Roblox.”

When asked if she wished to add anything, Muelinghaus said, “Thank you to the Falls Church community and all of the supporters we have here at Carpe Librum!”

We’re looking forward to Carpe Librum returning next month – weather permitting – to the same relaxing spot on the deck at Tatte! 

To follow Carpe Librum, go to their Instagram account at: carpelibrum_dc. Or, TTP’s website at: turningthepage.org.

By Christopher Jones