SEATTLE — A Seattle non-profit that helps people fix stuff says they need help finding a new building.
The NE Seattle Tool Library could be forced to move for the second time in just a few years after the owner of the building put it up for sale. It’s a problem that many other organizations are also dealing as they struggle with Seattle's high real estate prices.
The library is currently operated out of the old “LaVilla Dairy” building near Lake City. Instead of books and binders, this library features sanders and saws.
The library needs about 3,000 square feet of space to rent, and they’re hoping to stay in Northeast Seattle.
Joel Gregory has been involved with the library since they started in 2012 and said there are about 7,500 tools in the collection. Those tools include everything from garden implements to bicycle repair tools and even catering items like plates and glasses.
The best resources at the library might be the people who give their knowledge to help others.
“There's several of us here that know how things go together, how to make them work, and we can teach them how to use the tool or how to get it to work right for them,” Gregory said.
The library started with a grant and about 90 percent of the tools are donated. The majority of the staff is made up of volunteers. About 2,000 people from all over the Seattle area have access to the collection.
Kevin Rusch has been coming to the library for a few years.
“We did our whole kitchen remodel using a table saw, compressors, a bunch of stuff from the library," he said.
Rusch worries losing this type of community-centered asset hurts the city in other ways.
“You see stuff that matters being pushed out, and I don't want Seattle to become a strip mall like other parts of the country,” he said.