Image: Rachelle Loeppky / As spring arrives and warmer temperatures greet Fraser Valley residents, Rachelle Loeppky hopes to see a few more visitors to the Little Free Library that she and her family maintain at 52394 Yale Road in Popkum.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Popkum Little Free Library

Popkum resident eager to see more visitors to her Little Free Library

Mar 30, 2023 | 2:29 PM

POPKUM — A community library just doesn’t have the same feel if it turns dormant or the books don’t fly off the shelf like they once did.

Popkum resident Rachelle Loeppky knows the feeling. She says the Mayberry Little Free Library came to Popkum almost two years ago when she and her family moved there after enjoying a number of years in a busy neighbourhood on Mayfair Avenue in Chilliwack, just northeast of Chilliwack Secondary.

“Our family are the second stewards of the library and have had it since 2017,” said Loeppky, herself a retired teacher. “It has been an amazing experience and we could never have seen just how much we would enjoy taking care of it. We have tried to make our library a hub to serve our community.”

Loeppky says it takes more effort than one might imagine to keep a Little Free Library up and running. As a matter of fact, the former library collection she and her family maintained on Mayfair Avenue wasn’t kept up and is now abandoned.

“We had it with us on Mayfair but moved here two years ago and brought it with us,” Loeppky said. “Sadly, the one on Mayfair fell in to disrepair with no steward present and is now abandoned. We would love to have more visitors [here on Yale Road]. I used to have kids that came almost every night for bedtime books. I have really missed that. I just would love to see it enjoyed.”

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During COVID-19 lockdowns, the family garnered assistance from neighbours who went above and beyond just stocking books at the Little Free Library.

“We even had neighbours help us swap out books and utilize the shelves as a Little Free Pantry stocked with some essentials and even a few highly coveted rolls of toilet paper,” Loeppky said. “While it was a very busy location in Chilliwack with over a dozen visitors a day, it has been slow engaging our new community.”

With spring blossoms appearing and cooler weather giving way to warmer temperatures and sunny skies, Loeppky is eager to see her neighbours in Popkum and Rosedale stop in to grab a book, especially since there’s no library in Rosedale or Popkum. The nearest physical library is in Agassiz.

“Spring is always a wonderful time for new starts and we are hoping to have it hopping in no time,” Loeppky said.

The Mayberry Little Free Library sits at 52394 Yale Road and is housed in a weatherproof mini-shed at the top of the driveway. Inside book lovers will find shelves filled with many genres of books all ready to be borrowed and enjoyed. There’s also a neat treat for kids called “Reading Buddies.”

Image: Rachelle Loeppky / Rachelle Loeppky and her family maintain this Little Free Library at 52394 Yale Road and hope to have more visitors to retrieve books.

These ‘Buddies’ are stuffed animals that kids are welcome to choose and keep if they would like someone to read to and with,” said Loeppky. “I often try to add little seasonal gifts as well for kids to choose from. My hope is to keep young readers coming back and wanting to visit the library.”

The Little Free Library’s slogan is “Take a Book, Leave a Book,” Loeppky says, but that’s not always a prerequisite. Readers can keep books as long as they wish.

“I always like to clarify and let people know that leaving a book is not required to borrow one,” she said. “Books can be borrowed for as long as you like. Once you’ve finished your book you can return it to us, put it in another Little Free Library, or it you really loved it, share it with a friend. Our library is a rather large one and my husband laughs at how I’ve always gone a little overboard when I jump into a new project. I’m always imagining way to fit even more books in there.”

The little library collection is regularly stocked with high-quality books because Loeppky confesses that she’s an avid fan of thrift stores.

“I scour thrift stores and garage sales for new books all the time and we always appreciate donations to the bin in the library,” Loeppky said.

As for general rules about donating books to the Mayfair Little Free Library, Loeppky asks that no magazines or reference materials be dropped off.

“I once had a whole set of encyclopedias donated,” she mentioned. “I have also found that paperbacks do better than hardcovers (large size) as sometimes people are on foot and those copies can simply be too much to add to a walk. Good quality children’s books are always the hardest to keep in stock. I usually add a few hundred dollars worth each year but it seems they are the ones that either don’t find their way back, or if they do they’re damaged.”

Loeppky says she and her family hope to serve the community and engage with her fellow Popkum and Rosedale neighbours.

“We look forward to seeing books flying off the shelves!” Loeppky said.