Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Loperena.
Sara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 2012, I had just finished a master’s degree and was looking for a job in teaching, but I realized I wanted to do something bigger. It was right around the time that a lot of articles were coming out about the death of the bookstore, the death of the book, and the movement to e-readers and digital forms of media. As an avid book lover and as a person who recognized the inaccessibility of electronic devices for all people, those hit me. I was lucky to grow up with lots of encouragement and reading, and I built my wide interests by buying books from my local library rack for 10 and 25 cents whenever I had money. I loved that concept, but I wanted to re-create it on a larger scale. And if a library could sell books for $.10, why couldn’t I just offer a free resource for everyone? I asked for books from people I knew, books they weren’t using anymore. I have some connections with organizations that ended up with extra books and donated them to me. I incorporated The Book Cycle and, in a couple of years, had the 501 C3 designation. My first set up was a tent in markets on Saturdays, where I would bring as large a variety of books as possible, along with a few shelves and carts, and just hoped people would walk by and be interested. People would come look at the books, maybe take one or two, ask what I was trying to do, and it was easy to spread the word. I was able to move into a space east on Polk Street, and the newest location on Velasco is really the iteration of what I wanted my space to look like. Warm, inviting, filled with shelves full of books, plants, music. There are overstuffed chairs for you to sit and read, there’s a kid’s section with small tables and chairs. There are many things I want to improve, but this is the space I knew I was trying to create when I started.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’m not naturally a salesman. I have found it difficult personally to market my organization and build the financial support that it needs. I am most connected to people’s love of reading, the excitement that people have when they find this resource that is just there and available to them. The bumps have actually come as more people are excited, and I want to offer more for them. I want to offer more hours, more open times, more sections, more shelves, more books. And sometimes that is difficult without the resources. But mostly, I have been thrilled to find how much of a need there is in Houston and how connected people are to our mission of creating a free resource of knowledge, curiosity, and information for everyone.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about The Book Cycle, Inc.?
The Book Cycle is a free resource for all. We accept donations of books and sort and shelve them for anyone to come and take. There are no strings attached; the books are yours if you take them. But, to follow our mission, we ask of people that they keep the books they take as a free resource. When people are done with them, we hope they will donate them to another organization, give them to a friend or family member, put them in a little free library, or even bring them back to us to find a new home. I’m so excited to find people so passionate about reading and availability of resources, especially when there is such a disparity in our city and nation. It’s lovely to be able to see families come and get books for their children, teachers from public schools, KIPP Academy, or YES Prep come and get books for their classrooms. But the books are also for anyone who loves reading. I’m always happy that we are a place where people can bring books they no longer need, and many people are so happy to hear that their books will be appreciated and cherished by someone new. But I’m the most happy when people leave so excited with an arm full of books. I love reading myself, I love exploration and learning, so it is such a gift for me to be able to see the response that we’ve had.
What’s next?
My ultimate goal has always been to find a permanent home. To find a building that’s unused that we could renovate for our best use. I want to continue making our space a haven for people who appreciate our service. Ideally, that would come with more space, more control, and more people. One of my more short-term goals is to build a set of permanent volunteers who can help us expand our hours and expand our services. We’ve had a lot of people and groups interested in partnerships recently as well, which is thrilling, given how important it is to get our mission out into the city. I’m looking forward to taking on some of those projects so that we can get more people excited.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thebookcycle.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebookcycleinc/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/TheBookCyclnc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thebookcycle
Image Credits
Sara Loperena
