An intriguing name and just as unusual look: a shipping container just beside the Arbutus Greenway at West 6th Avenue. You may have walked or rode by on your bike. It is now open and ready for members.
What’s a Thingery? A community-owned library to lend – just like a normal library.
But this is no competition for our beloved Kits library, at MacDonald and 8th. Instead of books, you can borrow things like camping gear, recreation equipment, kid’s toys, woodworking tools, event & entertainment equipment, household appliances and musical instruments.
All the things you need, right around the corner. You shouldn’t have to go far to borrow what you need.
You may not know enough people in Kits to lend you what you are looking for. This idea offers another opportunity.
The sharing economy (cars, bicycles, rooms) is on the rise. Thingery follows the trend of borrowing – not buying.
The modified shipping container is self-service. You join as a member and what goes into the container depends on what neighbours donate and what they collectively purchase.
The Kitsilano Thingery offers a simple and convenient way to start a lending library. It helps to create a more resilient Kitsilano by reducing a person’s ecological footprint, strengthening social connections and assisting in emergency preparedness. (think about the earthquakes in Alaska this past week)
It works with the local Kits community to design the interior and exterior of the container, ensuring you are building a Thingery that suits the neighbourhood.
The Thingery started out as a project of Vancouver Tool library co-founder Chris Diplock. Chris knew that communities around the world were interested in sharing more with one another and wanted to see community owned lending libraries grow. So in the fall of 2016, with the help of Vancity, Chris held a series of pop-up Thingeries in Vancouver. The three pop-ups were a hit and with local community support they launched permanent sites in the fall of 2017.
Become a member today and join your local equipment lending library right in your neighbourhood. It works like non-profit co-operative. The Kitsilano Thingery Co-operative has a Board of Directors that govern the organization. Vancity and Kitsilano Neighbourhood House are community partners.
You can join by paying a one-time membership fee of $50 and then $29 annually. You get access to hundreds of high-quality tools and toys you would otherwise need to buy or rent.
The Kitsilano Thingery, West 6th Avenue & Arbutus Street, thethingery.com
Last modified: December 6, 2018
