Volunteers with the Friends of Sequim Library (FOSL) seek a new spot to hold their monthly sales once their one-year lease in Rock Plaza, a space formerly available rent-free, expires.
Katherine Huelskamp, FOSL’s board secretary, said the monthly book sale at 10175 Old Olympic Highway on the second Saturday of each month averages between $2,500-$3,000 a month but with a new year-long lease and utilities, the nonprofit has an overhead cost of approximately $2,000 a month.
“If FOSL is going to make it, we need to find a new place,” Huelskamp said.
Board members opted to sign a lease from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026 to allow them more time to find another solution, said interim president Pam Erb.
“The Rock Plaza owner was incredibly gracious to let us lease this for as long as we did with no rent,” she said.
“It was a blessing for the library, (which was) able to fund quite a bit of their projects and their expansion.”
FOSL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, moved into Rock Plaza during the Covid-19 pandemic, and previously operated in a building behind the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
That building does not exist anymore as the library’s expansion and renovation is being finished this summer. The site’s layout does not include another FOSL building for book sales.
Huelskamp said they’re looking for a permanent space to operate and since they’ve never had to pay rent before, the new cost is “a significant amount of our income.”
“A lot of people in the community think we’re vital, so we want to keep it going,” Erb said.
FOSL is separate from the North Olympic Library System (NOLS), said FOSL board member Rick Yates.
“(FOSL) exists to support the Sequim Library,” he said.
The group gives an annual donation to the library, which in recent years has been $25,000 annually, and has helped the Summer Reading Program. They also gave $150,000 to the expansion project.
FOSL board members said they plan to keep giving $25,000 next year, but they might have to dip into FOSL’s savings to maintain that amount due to the new expenses.
Erb said they can negotiate a new lease next year, but they’re open to moving to a new space hopefully for free, or possibly to purchase.
Seeking support
To increase revenues, FOSL board members are considering options that include:
• Members-only sale events
• A holiday sale separate from the monthly sale
• Expanding online sales
• Hosting book clubs with sales before/after
• Seeking more legacy donations
Media donations are accepted from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Rock Plaza, except for the Wednesday of the sale.
The next sale is set for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 12.
The sale now opens an hour earlier, and books in the Annex (the back portion of the sale) are now $0.50 per book. At noon, Annex books become $1 a bag, and free after 2 p.m.
Volunteer Linda DeMoss said she finds the Annex to be a good resource for children’s books, particularly to donate to Sequim Community Aid’s Toys for Sequim Kids event at Christmas.
FOSL does not accept magazines, Reader’s Digest, or condensed books.
Yates, who manages the “Miscellaneous Nonfiction” section, said community members come from diverse backgrounds and he’s always amazed at the quality of what comes in.
Annual meeting
Friends of Sequim Library hosts its annual Membership Meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 22 at the Sequim Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road. Sequim branch manager Emily Sly will speak about library renovations, and bi-annual elections for board members will be held.
Volunteers
FOSL has about 20 active volunteers and they’re seeking a treasurer, hopefully with experience working with/for nonprofits, and people with “strong backs” to help move books.
To sign up, visit Rock Plaza from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays or Wednesdays.
More information is available at its website (under construction) at https://sites.google.com/site/friendsof sequimlibrary/home.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Some of the approximate 20 volunteers with the Friends of Sequim Library gather for a photo while they sort materials for the July 12 book sale in Rock Plaza.
Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash/ The Friends of Sequim Library book sale moved into Rock Plaza in recent years and in June volunteers signed a one-year lease to maintain its operations. However, due to their revenue totals and new costs they seek a new permanent location for free or to possibly purchase in Sequim.
Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash/ The Friends of Sequim Library sale was once held behind the Sequim Library in a small building, but it has since moved to Rock Plaza in recent years to accommodate the library’s renovation and expansion.
