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The community share stores?

 
pollinator
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Hey,

A few places are popping up which appear to be non for profit groups, they are called share stores, where you can pay a fee each year about $50 to borrow tools, wheelchairs, tables, gazebos, ect.

Has anyone had any experience with these groups and if so please share!

Regards,
Alex
 
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I think there is something like that in Buffalo, NY, the nearest city to where I live. It's called something else (I forget, but there's a Facebook Page regarding them, and I can't find it.) It was set up to assist the poor and marginalized to come together and pool resources. If memory serves, it's more like a tool lending library where you borrow or lend what you need or have. I don't recall a fee to join. If I ever find it, I'll post it here (maybe Facebook's algorithms are spying on me and noting this post.

 
Alex Mowbray
pollinator
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Paul Sofranko wrote:I think there is something like that in Buffalo, NY, the nearest city to where I live. It's called something else (I forget, but there's a Facebook Page regarding them, and I can't find it.) It was set up to assist the poor and marginalized to come together and pool resources. If memory serves, it's more like a tool lending library where you borrow or lend what you need or have. I don't recall a fee to join. If I ever find it, I'll post it here (maybe Facebook's algorithms are spying on me and noting this post.



Thank you,
I feel like these organisations have potential, but lack proper logisticians, I figure that a lot of people have things that they only need once or twice a year or so.
And that the value in these stores could be for saving money for a lot of people in regards to storage facilities.

I also figure that if these organisations could share ideas, methods that they could create an effective model.

In terms of energy and space, A person has to have space for things, if everyone hoards up possessions and things they need bigger homes, and more things need to be made.

with effective apps and planning, administration of such organisations can be run largely by volunteers and the resources can be gained via deceased estates donations etc.

but it would also be effective to have a coffee shop and café as part of the operation, this would bring in income and also bring awareness, think about buying a coffee and looking at tools and having a chat. many people would go for it. then with the café people form relationships and networks people offer and join.

old retired guys can have someone to talk too and can repair and maintain the equipment, thus adding another social welfare aspect.
and these men with some experience can help others potentially with years of skill, so these kind of projects can me Organised by 1 logistics person per area, and then the people managed by a mushy people person.

They have a large potential to add value to a community it is just a matter of putting the right systems and flows around it!

what's also great is how it can be used to pool resources towards actions such as community gardens etc.

coffee grounds, tools, people, skills,

But these need to be sustainable and to do so it needs to be able to create its own income and this is why it needs the cafes as well.

I worked on projects where I met guys who were connected to large companies, one conversation was interrupted with a call asking if one guy could use 1.7 million coffee cups without lids.

these men, we able to connect charities with recycled food that would have been thrown away.

Then the labour for the charity was used to teach young people job skills,
The charity was also connected with other charities to provide free food, financial education, financial planning to get out of poverty, support to get out of domestic violence and it was all resourced to support itself and to pull in resources that would have been wasted!
the café kitchen salvaged from failed cafes in competitive areas the café created with no competition and lots of potential customers.

Google docs, could be used to run inventory, message, vehicle management, communicate, pass on documentation, pass on contacts, store and pass on training resources.

I really feel like these organisations have a lot of potential but are just not run properly because they are using word or mouth and Facebook to advertise rather than bring awareness via coffee shops and interacting with the community.

It seams like they are in low rent areas, which are out of the way, And lacking partnering with other organisations, or even religious organisations, schools, etc.

Pleas provide any information if you have experience with any similar organisation!












 
steward
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I did a google search for something like this.

Did find much other than Zero Waste Stores and Refill Stores.

I finally found these two links for something similar:

https://www.theguardian.com/business-to-business/2018/jan/18/check-me-out-the-library-where-you-can-borrow-clothes-instead-of-books

https://www.rd.com/list/things-you-can-borrow-to-save-money/

 
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Here's advice for new tool libraries from a tool library based in Edinburgh Scotland. They do point out it is not easy to run one, but it is so worthwhile!
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