Little Free Libraries—the public bookshelves where visitors are encouraged to “take a book, share a book”—have become a familiar sight in cities around the country and world.
The petite wooden repositories often flaunt bright color schemes, whimsical patterns and designs as unique as the people who own them. Since the first Little Free Library was created in 2009, the “little free library” concept has evolved and expanded to include little free food pantries and “blessing boxes.”
Now, a new trend is emerging: little free libraries devoted to toy cars. There are at least two in existence, and one of them is located in Louisville.
The Little Free Auto Shop, located at the intersection of Hoover Avenue and Lois Drive, allows local community members to exchange Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. It’s owned and maintained by longtime Louisville residents Bethany Sartell, her husband, Drew, and their children, Quinn, Rowan and Rhett.
Bethany Sartell said she first encountered the idea through a friend, who had discovered a similar “race car library” in San Diego a few years ago and posted a photo of it on Instagram. She said she knew right away that she wanted to have a little toy car library of her own someday.
“I think there’s things that you’re just drawn to in life that put a little spark in your heart, and I knew immediately that that’s something I wanted in my front yard,” Sartell said. “Childhood is a magical time, and contributing little things like that to the community helps make childhood more magical.”
All told, it took several months of work for the Sartell family to order the parts, customize them, paint and finish construction of the library, but the Little Free Auto Shop has been a hit in the neighborhood since it was installed about six weeks ago.
The concept is the same as a Little Free Library: Kids, families, and the young at heart can stop by to see what cars are available, take ones they like, and leave behind those they no longer use for someone else to enjoy.
Laura Betance, a neighbor of the Sartells, frequently stops by the toy car library with the kids she babysits, and said she’s always surprised by what she finds.
“There are different cars almost every day,” said Betance. “I think [the Sartells’ son] washes and inventories them — it’s really cute.”
Bethany Sartell said that, while she and her family had initially planned to keep a running catalog of the cars, their library has been so popular that it’s been impossible to track all of the cars being exchanged. Keeping the library stocked with toys has been an ongoing challenge, she said.
“We had initial donations from neighborhood middle school boys and then almost ran out right away,” said Sartell. “We’re hoping it kind of can keep itself going and we’re not constantly having to source cars all over the place.”
Still, Sartell said, running out of toys quickly is a good challenge to have — it means they have lots of visitors.
Some advocates say these types of “little libraries” can benefit communities by fostering participation, promoting sharing, and cutting down on the unnecessary costs and waste from buying new materials.
For Bethany Sartell’s part, she said she loves seeing the way people’s faces light up when they visit or even pass by the library.
“You can see the delight,” Sartell said. “It’s supposed to just spark something special. We don’t see everybody that goes by, but the people we do see are just so excited about it.”
Sartell also said she’s glad to be able to lift people’s spirits in her Louisville community in any way she can, particularly at this point in time, two years into living through a pandemic — and nearly half a year after the Marshall Fire ravaged the area.
“Anything we could do to bring a little bit of joy to this community was something we wanted to do,” said Sartell. “We needed some joy around here.”
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May 29, 2022 at 11:00PM
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