It’s located in a warehouse not far from Charlottesville downtown mall – an amazing collection of tools. There are, of course, hammers, wrenches and saws, but you can also borrow kitchen devices like a food dehydrator and a pressure canner, automotive, gardening and plumbing tools. There’s a battery-powered lawn mower, a walnut cracker, carpet cleaner, post-pounder, pressure washer, wallpaper steamer and so much more – overseen by volunteers like Kate Scales.
“Tools are a thing that it makes a lot of sense to collectively own," she explains. "For example, someone just returned a giant drill press. Who needs a drill press in their house all the time?”
And, she says, it was not so difficult to assemble this collection.
“People are kind of eager to donate – a lot of people are cleaning-out houses. Their parents pass away, and there’s this garage full of tools. We get a lot from that, and sometimes people have things that have been hanging around the house – like I bought this, I used it once.”
Tools can be checked out for two or three weeks – and you can extend if no one else is waiting. The place is open Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Tonight, there’s a steady stream of patrons – Jordan, Kiefer, Andre, Mark, Vijay, Jasmine and Zach – all happy to recommend the library.
“We just don’t all need everything. We can share stuff. That sounds like a mix between Karl Marx and Mr. Rogers or something.”
“I actually love that there’s a common shared space here where you can get these things. I hope Lowe’s doesn’t lobby too heavily against it.”
“I’ve been a member of the tool library for 2 years, and I’ve accomplished a number of projects that I never would have gotten finished, because I didn’t have the tools and supplies I needed. They have them here. They showed me how to use them. They keep them clean, sharp. Best deal in town.”
“We moved to our own house, and as you know once we get into a house, there are a lot of projects that just pop up, right?”
“We got a 20-foot ladder, because we have a very small house so we can get it when we need to clean our gutters and then bring it back.”
“Why do I need to spend $80 or $90 on a tool that I’m going to use once, when I could instead use it, and then return it back in a week, and then someone else can get some enjoyment out of it.”
Tool libraries are part of a larger movement known as the sharing economy – an effort to counter consumerism and build community. Libraries in Chesapeake and Arlington are now lending tools, and a group in Blacksburg is working through the New River Time Bank, hoping to have a tool library open soon.
