Creativebug To say I love my Little Free Library is an understatement. I am obsessed. I’m totally enchanted by my Little Free Library, I’m wild about other people’s Little Free Libraries, I’m fascinated by watching the ones in my neighborhood evolve and grow. I visit Little Free Libraries when I take trips – check out their world map! And I carry a box of good books in the trunk of my car for when I see one that needs a bit more quality texts. I live on the most trafficked pedestrian road in my little town and my across-the-street neighbor says he watches people stop at the library the same way someone else would watch a bird feeder.
In my bookish fantasies, every reader who’s ever thrust a book at another person saying “You MUST read this” would have their own. Mine was a gift from a beloved aunt who bought it from the Little Free Library nonprofit, and while you can absolutely have one without involving them at all, they do have tons of resources. I went to their online store to get the link to share with you and would you believe I lost a half hour to looking through all their products and accessories? You can buy a reading bench that attaches to your library! A dog treat box! Custom stamps for the books that pass through! A hook for your dog leash so you can peruse more easily. You can even bulk buy a stacks of books for just over a dollar per book. They’ve thought of everything! But I’m getting ahead of myself – the first LFL I encountered was just a cardboard box on top of a stone wall outside of a grocery store in Oakland, CA, so you can truly start where you are.
It’s such a treat to see people use theirs in unconventional ways. I’ve seen them used as pop-up food pantries, mini art galleries, bases for trinket trading, even this little Halloween haunted house set up by my brilliant quilter friend Jaimie. If you’re a proud LFL owner who finds yourself uninspired, I highly suggest exploring curated themes. My library in October is always costumed as a monster and contains only scary books for adults and halloween books for kids. There’s an empty electrical box along the Delaware River Canal Tow Path not far from my house that I want to convert to a library stuffed full of nature and mindfulness books – wouldn’t that be fun?!
If you’re one of those people for whom buying books is nearly as exciting as reading them, this is a brilliant and community-oriented outlet for the habit. Local, non-chain thrift stores will have the best prices, and you better believe I’m hitting up this 4-for-a-dollar sale at the church down the road every few weeks!
The magic of a Little Free Library is that it’s tiny, it’s imperfect, and it’s wildly generous. I see them as a quiet invitation to slow down or a surprise moment of inspiration. I have one to share what I love, to open a conversation with my neighbors, and to participate in something bigger than myself without needing permission or perfection (though technically, you may need permission from your city to install one, so be sure to check before you pour the cement!). Whether yours is a hand-built box, a repurposed cabinet, or a cardboard crate on a stone wall, it’s a site of curiosity, delight, and excellent stories. I fill it with books and then step back to watch what happens. Like a bird feeder, sure, but also like a love letter to my community, written one book at a time.