If I had a hammer …

Make or break: Asheville Tool Library participants Tom Llewelyn and Julian Dominic hope to create a space where time- and cash-strapped Ashevilleans can get the items they need to garden, improve their homes, or even throw a dinner party. photo by Max Cooper

While setting up the new gardening initiative, Charlotte Got Crops, (see “Growing in Unison”), Julian Dominic and his fellow growers realized they were missing something. Tools.

“You start this garden, and you have all these grand ideas, but what you really need are tools to get the job done,” he says. Dominic moved here from Philadelphia, where he relied on a tool library — an equipment collection shared by a community or neighborhood. His idea was simple: “Why don't we start a resource where not only us but other community projects, or other people, can access tools?”

Dominic adds, “There are so many damn people in this city doing so many cool projects, but they're all using their own tools.” Often, these weekend builders or neighborhood farmers must buy equipment they will only need a handful of times, such as a tiller, chainsaw or trusty axe. A tool library allows members check out otherwise unaffordable equipment for a limited time.

The project is still in the planning stages, Dominic notes, but perspective members will be able to make a contribution — money, volunteer hours, tools — and borrow the gear from a common space or storage shed that will be open at various times during the week and on the weekend.

“There are almost 50 tool libraries around the country now,” says project collaborator Tom Llewellyn. Some are even run by city libraries in the area, he explains.

Llewellyn and Dominic hope to find a suitable space near downtown, and might branch out into holding classes on how to use the tools for everything from creating a local farming project to building an addition. Llewellyn says the tool library might even extend to such items as a community set of dishes.

“We don't often think of those as tools, but people occasionally need more than what they have on hand,” he says. “We want to think about what people commonly need and bring in those things that many of us use, so they don't go out and get a bunch of Styrofoam.”

For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page or email ashevilletoollibrary@gmail.com.

— David Forbes can be reached at 251-1333, ext. 137, or dforbes@mountainx.com.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.