Photographer sets up community library in Bukit Merah
Nestled in an old neighbourhood in Bukit Merah, Casual Poet Library is neighbours with a bird shop, a barber, and several old-school confectionaries.
The shared community library — where 180 individuals have signed up to own bookshelves — is still in the works, but the ethos is well and truly alive.
“This space is different from a library — it’s more like a human library, with a little shelf being a glimpse into the human behind it,” said Rebecca Toh, the 38-year-old founder of the up-and-coming community space.
The self-confessed “practical dreamer” hopes to build a community for readers and dreamers in stressful Singapore. She speaks to MS News about the journey to get there.
Finding & creating community around books in Singapore
About two months ago, Rebecca — a Singapore-based photographer — was visiting a friend in Japan during her sabbatical.
It was in the small Japanese fishing town of Yaizu that she chanced upon a unique community library.
The concept of the library was a simple but intriguing one, where each shelf belonged to a different owner who in turn lent out their books to strangers.
Source: @rebecca_toh on Instagram
Rebecca noted that every shelf was different, observing that bookshelf owners could do whatever they want with their space.
“I had the impression that everyone was tending to their shelves like they were tending to a garden,” she wrote in her Instagram post that has since gone viral.
Rebecca made the pivotal post on 16 May, with the intention of getting a few responses to her idea of bringing the concept to Singapore.
In recent years, “mini libraries” have popped up in the void decks of public housing estates such as Holland Village, Fernvale, and Yishun.
The Casual Poet Library, however, stands out in that each shelf will be uniquely and carefully curated to reflect its owner’s tastes and preferences.
Through this, Rebecca hopes to encourage a sense of ownership and in turn, satisfaction in the project’s believers.
Source: @rebecca_toh on Instagram
To Rebecca’s surprise, her Instagram post had reached thousands of people.
It garnered more than 13,000 likes, and she received about 300 messages in her inbox supporting the move.
The overwhelming response was all the affirmation she needed to kick things into gear.
Turning a dream into a reality
The store had taken shape in a whirlwind of activity.
It took Rebecca only three days to sign the lease for the space that will be Singapore’s newest shared library.
“If I had waited [any longer], I might not have ended up doing it,” she said.
As it turns out, Rebecca had always dreamed of opening a bookstore. She traces her love for books to her childhood.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Toh.
Her father, who worked in construction, encouraged her love for books — even though he “didn’t get it”.
“He used to bring home boxes of used books from his clients’ houses for me to read,” recounted Rebecca.
“Books are like friends and teachers,” she said. “There’s a book for everything and they are a very real part of my life.”
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Toh.
Though Rebecca never doubted her passion for the written word, she was shocked that others felt the same way.
Buoyed by overwhelming support, plans fell together quickly
“I thought most people didn’t care about books,” she quipped. Yet clearly they do, as Rebecca had spent a week replying to all the messages of support.
When asked why she chose Bukit Merah of all places, Rebecca shared the spot was simply meant to be.
She had unknowingly come across the estate six months ago and was especially charmed by a neighbouring shop that sold birds.
At the time, Rebecca had made an offhand remark to her friend that if she were to ever open a bookshop, it would be in that area.
Months later — in her quest for an accessible community space within the heartlands — she came across a “perfect space” to rent for the library.
Rebecca only realised later on that the unit was located in the very same Bukit Merah neighbourhood she had been smitten by months ago.
“It looked like a movie set!” noted Rebecca, who has been a career photographer since 2013.
She has since made a name for herself in the industry, having contributed work to publications like the New York Times.
That said, her journey to this point was not at all a bed of roses.
Founder of Casual Poet Library struggled to find her path
“I dropped out of university four times,” said Rebecca candidly as we chatted in a quaint café a few doors down from her new space.
Rebecca left her English Literature course at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to pursue music twice, only to realise that where she had bucketloads of passion, she lacked the talent.
She first attempted to learn music production at the School of Audio Engineering after seemingly “falling in love with music” overnight.
Her stint there lasted for six months before she returned to NTU.
Rebecca then gave music another shot at LA SALLE — where she called it quits after another six months.
While her more musical peers appeared to coast through their lessons, she struggled.
Source: Rebecca Toh
She eventually entered Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) with the intention of getting a “generic degree”.
This too, did not work out.
Bukit Merah library is not her first business venture
Rebecca’s difficult journey in higher education had left her dejected and she yearned for an escape.
So in 2008, Rebecca opened a café in Chinatown — called Casual Poet — that she ran for about two years.
Though her sister and relatives would sometimes drop by to lend a hand, the operation was mostly a one-man show.
The business eventually shuttered as it was unsustainable, but Rebecca described the two years of working alone as an “amazing experience”.
She learnt the importance of planning in advance and organising the business from the get go.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Toh.
Noting that administrative work is not her strong suit, Rebecca has since hired an assistant to help her with such tasks for her new venture.
Her 20s — riddled with uncertainty and trials — had also taught her the bitter truth that sometimes, passion is not enough.
However, Rebecca never gave up finding her path, persevering through years of teaching tuition, freelance writing, and a medley of odd jobs until she found photography.
And she also never stopped being a dreamer — albeit she is now a practical one.
Casual Poet now gets a second lease of life, as a shared community space revolving around books and people.
Casual Poet Library will feature curated bookshelves by 180 people
“It’s amazing if the space can make people feel connected,” said Rebecca when asked about her hopes and dreams for Casual Poet Library.
She noted that books can be seen as bridges between strangers.
The library now has 180 bookshelf owners who are eagerly waiting to move into the space, and even more on the waitlist.
She also sees the project as a way for people to express themselves.
Each bookshelf owner — having paid at least S$319 for a six-month lease — will have the freedom to curate their shelf as they wish.
The books available will span a variety of genres, from science fiction novels by authors such as Cixin Liu to children’s books.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Toh.
Rebecca plans to make the space as cosy as possible — with air-conditioning, seating areas for lingering readers, and a washroom at the back.
Since launching the project, a few full-time librarians have even bought in to the idea and signed up as bookshelf owners.
The same can be said about “Bookstagrammers”, social media content creators whose interest is in reviewing and recommending books.
Rebecca hopes that Casual Poet Library will survive for five to 10 years and inspire others to create their own community projects.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Toh.
Community space in Bukit Merah to open end July
Most of the books are set to come in by end July, and Rebecca is taking applications for volunteer librarians at present.
She has received about 150 volunteer librarian applications at the time of writing.
That said, the library is “coming together in no great hurry”, and the final look remains to be seen.
For those interested in exploring the space and all it has to offer, here’s how you can get there:
Casual Poet Library @ Bukit Merah
Address: 123 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-110, Singapore 150123
Nearest MRT: Queenstown, Redhill, Labrador Park
Casual Poet Library is also active on Instagram, where there are regular updates on the progress of the space.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @casualpoetlibrary on Instagram.
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