Vancouver Tool Library

It's quite possible that some of the most intriguing DIY projects around Vancouver owe their existence to the Vancouver Tool Library. Like the 12-in mouse house a 14 year-old-boy built. “I think he checked out every tool in the store while he was building it,” muses VTL general manager Bill Reynolds. Then there's the woman who relies upon the library to build the structures in which she raises her crickets, used ultimately for protein and fish food. And the nearby general store Trout & Co. Crafted and Curated Goods whose owners drew upon the library's tools for their store's original build out.

But not everyone who uses the VTL is building cricket cages or store displays; lots of people take out tools for everyday plumbing fixes or gardening or their annual pressure washing. The library is stocked with tools for everything from home repair to gardening to bike maintenance, all handily organized on their site and labeled and stored in their full-to-bursting 600-sq-ft space on Commercial Street.