{"id":60416,"date":"2025-01-13T01:00:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T09:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?p=60416"},"modified":"2025-03-13T10:48:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T18:48:50","slug":"seattles-little-free-libraries-offer-a-catalog-of-collections-and-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/01\/13\/seattles-little-free-libraries-offer-a-catalog-of-collections-and-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle\u2019s Little Free Libraries Offer a Catalog of Collections and Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article first appeared in <\/em>Pacific NW Magazine<\/a>, the Sunday magazine of The Seattle Times<\/a>, and has been republished with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

Spooning buttercream into a pastry bag, Kim Holloway is close to opening time. She pipes rosettes of frosting on trays of vanilla cupcakes\u2014some plain vanilla frosting, some cookies and cream.<\/p><\/div>

\n

With the aid of Holloway\u2019s \u201cpartner in crime,\u201d Kathleen Dickenson, they prop the lid of an old-fashioned school desk in Holloway\u2019s front yard and fill it with cupcakes. Holloway adds edible pearls and glitter. Shortly after 3 p.m., the Little Free Bakery Phinneywood is open for business\u2014the business of sharing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love to bake, and many people have told me, \u2018Oh, you should open a bakery.\u2019 And I just think, \u2018No, no, no, no. It would take the joy out of it for me,\u201d Holloway says.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, the seed library is part of food security. It\u2019s like having money in the bank, but it\u2019s seeds in the library.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Like hundreds of other Little Free hosts in the region, she\u2019s found joy instead in giving.<\/p>\n

And, like so many good ideas, this one started with a book.<\/p>\n

In 2009, a Wisconsin man named Todd Bol built a Little Free Library in his front yard, encouraging passersby to take a free book or drop off extras. The idea and the format\u2014a wooden box set on a post, usually with a latched door\u2014seeded a movement, with more than 150,000 registered worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeded\u201d got literal fast: The Little Free book idea spread to other sharing opportunities, including a rampant crop of Little Free Seed Libraries, where people swap extra packets of cilantro and Sungolds.<\/p>\n

Seattle\u2019s density, temperate climate, walkable neighborhoods\u2014and maybe our introvert culture?\u2014make it easy for the little landmarks to thrive. They exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, when locals thought outside the box by putting up a box, including what\u2019s believed to be the nation\u2019s first Little Free Bakery<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0first Little Free Art Library<\/a>. Many built on the region\u2019s existing affinity for hyperlocal giving\u2014the global Buy Nothing phenomenon, for one example, was founded on Bainbridge Island<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just seem to do more of all these versions of sharing,\u201d says \u201cLittle Library Guy,\u201d the nom de plume of a longtime resident who showcases the phenomenon on his\u00a0Instagram feed<\/a>\u00a0and a helpful\u00a0map<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit organization now overseeing global Little Free Libraries finds the nonbook knockoffs \u201cfun and flattering,\u201d communications director Margret Aldrich says in an email. (She also notes \u201cLittle Free Library\u201d is a trademarked name, requiring permission if used for money or \u201cin an organized way.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Some libraries stress fundamental needs: A recently established Little Free Failure of Capitalism<\/a>\u00a0in South Seattle provides feminine products, soap, chargers, even Narcan. A Columbia City Little Free Pantry established by personal chef Molly Harmon grew into a\u00a0statewide network<\/a>\u00a0for neighbors supporting neighbors.<\/p>\n

Others are about the little things: Yarn. Jigsaw puzzles and children\u2019s toys. Keychains (one keychain library in Hillman City has a TikTok account delighting 8,000+ followers). A Little Free Nerd Library holds Rubik\u2019s Cubes and comic books.<\/p>\n

Regardless of where each library falls on Maslow\u2019s hierarchy of needs, they stand on common ground. \u201cThere\u2019s a line from [Khalil] Gibran: \u2018Work is love made visible,\u2019 \u201d Little Library Guy says in a phone call. \u201cThat\u2019s what they\u2019re doing. They\u2019re showing that they love the community by doing something for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a little free sample of what you might find around town:<\/p>\n

Seeding a Movement<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
\"an<\/a>

Two University of Washington students sort, count, and bag mammoth sunflower seeds during an annual seed inventory inside a research facility at the Center for Urban Horticulture. These are seeds that birds at the UW Farm did not get to, and they\u2019ll go into the Little Free Seed Library by the end of the day. (Photo credit: Ken Lambert\/The Seattle Times)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n<\/div>

At the\u00a0UW Farm<\/a>, on 1.5 acres of intensively planted land at the\u00a0Center for Urban Horticulture<\/a>, students grow more than six tons of organic produce annually. They learn about agriculture and ecology while providing food for 90 families in a neighborhood CSA, for college dining halls and for food banks.<\/p><\/div>

\n

One chilly November day, students and volunteers on the self-sustaining farm worked with the small staff to inventory what seemed like countless seeds for next year\u2019s plantings: Parade onions, Autumn Beauty sunflowers, Painted Mountain corn, Genovese basil. Packs with just a small number of remaining seeds were set aside for the Little Free Seed Library installed near rows of winter greens.<\/p>\n

Farm manager Perry Acworth organized the little library during the pandemic, seeing the renaissance in home gardening coupled with a run on supplies. \u201cSeeds were sold out \u2026 even if they had money, they couldn\u2019t find them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Acworth picked up a secondhand cabinet\u2014one with a solid door, rather than the usual Little Free Library glass window, because seeds need to be protected from light. Althea Ericksen, a student at the time, designed it, painted it with a cheerful anthropomorphic beet, and installed it.<\/p>\n

Seeds were packed inside jars to protect them from rodents and birds who otherwise would have a feast, and the Little Free Seed Library was born\u2014shielded from rain and direct sun, convenient to pedestrians as well as cars.<\/p>\n

On a recent day, seeds for radish, mizuna, red cabbage, and flashy troutback lettuce waited in lidded jars for their new winter homes.<\/p>\n

On the side of the seed library, thank you notes sprout comments such as, \u201cThank you for sharing.\u201d Enough harvests have gone by to see the library\u2019s benefits, from flowering pollinators to harvests of food. A mere handful of seeds isn\u2019t useful for the farm\u2019s scale, Acworth notes, but for library guests, \u201cIf I have five sunflowers in my yard, five heads of lettuce, that\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

It isn\u2019t all sunflowers and appreciation. The library has been emptied more than once; the seeds were once dumped out and used to fuel a fire on the ground.<\/p>\n

But Acworth appreciates \u201cthe underground economy of it\u201d\u2014the relationships, the neighbors making a difference, the bonds it creates that are unbreakable even if the library is not.<\/p>\n

Seed libraries actually predate the Little Free Library phenomenon. Anti-globalization protests at the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle in 1999 were credited with sparking the phenomenon, according to\u00a0a history<\/a> first published in Acres U.S.A.<\/em> magazine, encouraging a visiting Berkeley, Calif., resident, Sascha DuBrul, to co-found the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library.<\/p>\n

A big step forward came when teacher Rebecca Newburn founded a seed library in the public library in her California hometown in 2000\u2014and shared a template for others to replicate it. \u201cIn short order, there were hundreds of them, and now thousands,\u201d she says by phone. Newburn founded a seed library network<\/a>\u00a0sharing information and pitfalls (beware of extreme heat and cold, which can damage seeds!) and details such as the potential legal complications of patented seeds.<\/p>\n

Many organized seed libraries have a deeper mission: encouraging resilience and skill-building. Acworth encourages patrons to learn how to save seeds \u2014 a rewarding way of paying the Little Library forward, but also an important skill.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, the seed library is part of food security,\u201d Acworth says. \u201cIt\u2019s like having money in the bank, but it\u2019s seeds in the library.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good Dog, Goose<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
\"A<\/a>

Giuli Lewis and her dog, Goose, pose near the Little Free Dog Library on Queen Anne that Lewis set up to foster a neighborhood exchange of dog toys (like this squeaky alligator). (Photo credit: Ken Lambert\/The Seattle Times)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n<\/div>

On Queen Anne, Giuli Lewis noticed last year that her dog, Goose, had extra toys. She figured: Why not share?<\/p><\/div>

\n

Lewis had been intrigued by a Little Free Stick Library she\u2019d seen online, but sticks can injure dogs\u2019 mouths. She set up a Little Free Dog Library instead, in a lidded plastic crate. Instead of \u201cTake a Book, Leave A Book,\u201d it advertised, \u201cTake a Toy, Leave a Toy.\u201d Goose, a 10-pound, friendly, former \u201cfoster fail\u201d adopted from\u00a0Dog Gone Seattle<\/a>, had plenty of tasty treats and tennis balls. \u201cIt quickly took off,\u201d Lewis says.<\/p>\n

Through the local Buy Nothing group, neighbors learned to stop by\u2014or drop off their own squeaky toys and spare leashes. Canine connections flourished, and so did human ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve talked to so many people,\u201d Lewis says\u2014along with Rue, Luna, D\u2019Artagnan, Butters, Porter, Cooper, Nia, Balloo, Lemon and Walter (just some of their accompanying pets).<\/p>\n

Neighborhood raccoons got wind of the windfall and robbed the crate more than once, so Lewis now brings dog food in at night. Otherwise, it\u2019s been nothing but a hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cMultiple dogs, I\u2019ve been told, insist on walking this block,\u201d she says. One owner brings treats in his pocket just in case the box isn\u2019t stocked.<\/p>\n

And Goose, the original giver, seems fine sharing his belongings\u2014as his visitors seem fine sniffing around and proudly taking something home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they like the idea they\u2019ve taken another dog\u2019s toy,\u201d Lewis says.<\/p>\n

The Art of Giving<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
\"A<\/a>

The Free Little Art Gallery on Queen Anne is currently showing two abstract works. The show runs indefinitely, until new art is swapped in. A sign says, \u201cFeel free to take a piece, leave a piece \u2014 or both.\u201d (Photo credit: Ken Lambert\/The Seattle Times)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n<\/div>

When museums and art galleries shut down during the pandemic in 2020, Stacy Milrany opened a tiny one.<\/p><\/div>

\n

Her Little Free Art Library on Queen Anne was designed like a museum, with lighting and white walls, a tiny bench for viewing (with minifigures observing the display), and a tiny easel and shelf displaying drawings and paintings with dimensions of just a few inches.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised how fast people embraced it and how many people contributed in the first 60 days. I had hundreds of pieces,\u201d the artist recalls. \u201cI didn\u2019t even know if people would get the concept, want to play, care about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There have been Post-it-sized portraits and abstracts, acrylics and watercolors, still lifes and collages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can change over the course of an hour, and there can be a completely new installation there. That\u2019s part of the beauty of it, is constantly seeing it change.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first, Milrany says, she felt compelled to meet artists and document each contribution.<\/p>\n

It was delightful\u2014and sometimes overwhelming.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I love about all these Little Free Everythings is that they wake people up,\u201d she says. \u201cThey surprise and delight. They\u2019re not on their phones, they look around, they\u2019re engaged with humanity and artifacts made by real people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milrany saw the irony in the time she was spending on her own phone, documenting interactions and contributions. She let the library become more self-sustaining, less actively managed\u2014and that\u2019s been delightful, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanted to see if it would sustain itself [after] the novelty of the pandemic, if it would wear off, or if people would still embrace it,\u201d she says. \u201cI am glad to say people have still embraced it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A larger community has done the same. Milrany designed the installation as much like a professional gallery as she could\u2014partly because everything else was closed, partly for \u201cpeople\u2019s creations to be the hero.\u201d She shared the design plans online, and she says it\u2019s been rewarding to see hundreds of replicas rise nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that it\u2019s a sign that we are making space for authentic human connection in this very isolated or disconnected world,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The Sweet Side of Giving<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
\"a<\/a>

Kim Holloway finishes up a batch of cupcakes for her Little Free Bakery in Phinneywood. (Photo credit: Rebekah Denn)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n<\/div>

The first Little Free Bakery is believed to be Lanne Stauffer\u2019s 2021 Magnolia box, inspired by a gift bouquet from the nearby Little Free Flowery. As Pacific NW magazine contributor Jill Lightner\u2014who operates a Little Free Bakery in Columbia City<\/a>\u2014noted, a scattering of bakeries followed around Seattle, and the concept spread to other states.<\/p><\/div>

\n

Holloway, of the Phinneywood bakery library, is a writer who has specialized in advertising copy for cookware companies. She\u2019s on what she calls a \u201cGen X gap year\u201d to focus on what she loves, and figure out what might come next.<\/p>\n

“I am exhausted at the end of it, and usually I go lie down on the couch. But then what I\u2019m thinking of is, \u2018What\u2019s next? What am I going to make next week?'”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

She talked with a few other Little Free Bakery hosts before deciding to move ahead with her own in the spring. Their biggest piece of advice: \u201cThis is your own thing.\u201d Do it however it works.<\/p>\n

Holloway has operated the bakery most Fridays, noting the opening time on her Instagram page and local Buy Nothing group. She writes haikus and hands them out on bookmarks with the treats. Unlike many bakers, she and Dickenson stay outside and greet passersby.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see some of the same people every week, and then always we\u2019re meeting new people,\u201d Dickenson says.<\/p>\n

Jogging down the street, neighbor Rachel Leftwich stopped for a cupcake, joking, \u201cI did time my run\u201d for the fuel.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Kim Holloway bakes on Friday afternoons, and usually, at around 3 p.m., fills her Little Free Bakery in Phinneywood on 87th between Dayton and Phinney. (Photo credit: Rebekah Denn)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

A new neighbor came with her also-new dog, who accepted a treat while her owner tried a cupcake. Schoolchildren paused to agonize between frosting choices. One girl took two\u2014then ran up the street to share one with her mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s lovely,\u201d one woman says, accepting a cupcake. \u201cI\u2019m surprised I\u2019m taking it, but y\u2019all look trustworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a second, for new visitors, to absorb that there was no catch, no money involved, no requests.<\/p>\n

For Holloway, the scale already was balanced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have lived here for 19 years, and I had never met most of my neighbors \u2026 and now I know a whole lot of my neighbors,\u201d she says. \u201cIt really has been one of the most rewarding things I\u2019ve ever done. I look forward to every Friday when I\u2019m here, and then I am exhausted at the end of it, and usually I go lie down on the couch. But then what I\u2019m thinking of is, \u2018What\u2019s next? What am I going to make next week?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article first appeared in Pacific NW Magazine, the Sunday magazine of The Seattle Times, and has been republished with permission. With the aid of Holloway\u2019s \u201cpartner in crime,\u201d Kathleen Dickenson, they prop the lid of an old-fashioned school desk in Holloway\u2019s front yard and fill it with cupcakes. Holloway adds edible pearls and glitter. 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