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BOUTIQUE Wilmington’s latest Little Free Library is also eye-catching art By Bob Yearick
Located at West Street between West 13th and 14th, the tiny library was built by Glenn Kocher and painted by artist Natasha Poppe. Photos provided.
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mong the few benefits of the pandemic has been the growth of Little Free Libraries. Started just 12 years ago in Hudson, Wis., Little Free Libraries are book-sharing boxes, located in front yards or public areas, that provide 24/7 access to books for adults and children. “[We] saw growth in the network over the last year, especially as people were looking for ways to connect and share books during social distancing and while schools and public libraries were closed,” says Margret Aldrich, director of communications for the nonprofit. Northern New Castle County has kept pace with the national trend: at least four LFLs were created in Wilmington and Newark during the pandemic. The latest and most eye-catching of these is the one at West Street between West 13th and 14th streets. The unique LFL is the product of the Midtown Brandywine Book Club and artist Natasha Poppe, a transplanted Minnesotan. Poppe moved from St. Paul to Wilmington with her husband in 2019, after a 33-year career as an art teacher. While the LFLs were plentiful in St. Paul, with one on virtually every block in some neighborhoods, Poppe discovered that wasn’t the case in Wilmington. So she was delighted when a member of her book club suggested during a Zoom meeting that the club sponsor one. ► JUNE 2021
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