Beloved Hawaii Island book shack sits in ruins with its next chapter uncertain

WAIOHINU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A small book shack in Waiohinu was a beloved community spot for everyone from keiki to kupuna.

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But it now sits in ruins after floods from Hurricane Lala.

The grounds of ‘The Book Shack’ have been covered in several feet of sediment and rocks. Inside, few books remain on the shelves in what’s left of the structure.

Donna Ambrose ran the non-profit responsible for the space.

“It was more than just a bookstore. It was more like a gathering place for the community. People would come and just talk story, you know, and they’d grab books, of course, too, but you know, this town, we need that. We need places to be,” she said.

Thousands of books came and went through that little shack, all with a strict price limit.

“It was all run on donations, so I would never charge anything over $1 for a book. I don’t care what book it was,” Ambrose said.

She had just cleaned up the store from the Kona low floods, and was ready to begin the next chapter.

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“Well, that was extremely hard at the time. I thought the end of the world was then, right? I mean, you come home and there’s all mud everywhere and you have constant cleaning for two and a half, three months, right? And then this happens,” she said.

Even with her books scattered on the roads throughout the town, she’s found hidden humor through it all.

“I’m like, hey, I wanted to spread literature in this community, but that wasn’t the way, you know,” she said. “Try to make light of it because what are you gonna do, cry? Yeah, cry, cry one good cry and then move forward just like before.”

The shack is on land leased from the Kauahaʻao Congregational Church, and she’s waiting to hear if the church will let her reopen. But she’s hopeful for the future.

“Honestly, when I walked into it the first time that I saw it, I cried. And then I sat on that big rock there, and I looked at the ceiling. The roof is on. And the floor is pretty solid, the foundation, so I think we can work from there.”

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