'Library of Things' aims to help people save money

Leamington's 'Library Of Things' opened earlier this year to let people borrow everyday items that might be too expensive or too bulky to buy and keep.

It is one of dozens popping up across the country and the volunteers who run it are hoping it'll change how people think about buying and owning items.

The shop opened in January 2026 and was set up by Maurice Herson after he previously ran a similar site in Oxford.

He said: "It's like a library, but anything except books. It's the same idea, you want to read a book, you don't want to buy it. Maybe you just want to see whether you want to buy it, so you borrow it."

It's free to have a library membership and there is a small fee to borrow items, but the volunteers say they like to be flexible about how long people borrow for, so that they have time to finish their projects.

It stocks household items, equipment and tools, as well as some more unusual items including bunting, a unicycle and a popcorn maker.

Herson says many of the things they have ready to borrow, have been donated to them.

"People walk through the door and go 'here you go'.

"There's a couple of things I've bought in charity shops, but for me the idea is that it has to be second-hand stuff. Somebody's used it, and now we are going to make sure it goes on being used."

Student, Emma Harrow, borrowed a sewing machine to teach herself to make alterations to clothes.

"I bought quite a few things second-hand that I wanted to alter, fit me better, that kind of thing.

The 20-year-old says it is an item she never would have been able to afford to buy outright.

"I'm a student so I don't really have the money to be investing in something like that when I could just borrow it for when I need it and give it back."

Neil Puttick moved to Leamington a few years ago and had some fencing that needed fixing, so borrowed a nail gun.

"I'm very drawn to the idea of the 'Library of Things'. It's a great concept because I just don't want to fill my garage up with things I don't use very often", he said.

"If you live in a small house, you don't want all this clobber."

The community, household library concept is growing with new sites opening every few weeks in the UK at the moment.

"The idea of a 'Library of Things' has grown over the last 10 years enormously." Herson added.

"There were like six in the country, we were number seven. Now, there are over a hundred."

Herson said people had been asking him about opening a site in Leamington, because of his experience of running one in Oxford.

"One day I cycled past this shop and I saw it was empty, and I had one of those moments." Herson said.

Leamington's shop is a shared space on Bedford Street with Leamington Eco Hub.

They work with the community and individuals to find more environmentally friendly ways to live and had been looking for a space to be based in.

The 76-year-old said bringing the two together just made sense.

"I emailed them and said why don't we do it in the same place together. It felt like the universe was telling us we needed to do it."