Concord woman's Little Free Library outgrows its name
When Jodeen Percey of Concord first started her little library, it was never meant to be a big deal.
"It started with just the little library and over time we needed to add more shelves," she said.
Now, her front yard holds a collection that's outgrown its title.
"I knew I needed to change the name from a 'Little Library' to a 'Not So Little Library,' because it's just not a little library," she said.
Welcome to what could be the country's first and only place where neighbors can browse through, not just a handful, but hundreds of books, all for free.
"It's very inspiring for me to keep doing this because the neighborhood uses it," Percey said.
Her neighbors say this is the Goldilocks of libraries, with a selection of books and a welcoming vibe that feels just right.
"At the public library they've got all those different genres and so many to look through you don't see anything because there's just so much," said Lynn Miller, a school bus driver.
Percey took a page from the Little Free Library movement, which began in 2009 in Wisconsin. That's when Todd Bol created the first ever dollhouse size structure on his front lawn, igniting a book sharing revolution.
Since then, his Little Free Library has grown into a sprawling nonprofit with nearly 200,000 lending sites in more than 120 countries.
"It's just something that has grown over time and the momentum continues to snowball," said Greig Metzger, Little Free Library's Executive Director.
Metzger said the organization has seen a steady growth in recent years, as people rediscover traditional books.
"I think that maybe the demise of a printed book might have been overstated a little bit," he said.
Somewhat surprisingly 767 million physical books were sold last year, up from 697 million in 2019.
As for Percey, she said she'll continue stocking these shelves, as long as people keep coming.
"That is what can bring us joy, is putting a smile on somebody's face and getting out of our own world," she said.
