Let's say you have a small household repair to make or task to accomplish, and you just need to use one thing. But it's one thing you don't own, and really just need it for this one task, and no one you know has this thing either, and you'd rather not shell out the bucks to own something you won't use again.
What you need is a Thingery. A Thingery is a lending hub that provides a variety of things--items--to its members.
Image via Thingery
Right now in Vancouver there is a movement to launch multiple Thingery locations in several Vancouver and Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods. The Thingeries are converted shipping containers that hold a variety of crowd-sourced goods that members can borrow.
The container is accessed with a pin-coded lock, and the pin is granted to members who sign up and pay a one-time lifetime membership fee (currently priced at $50). An additional fee of $29 is applied as an annual maintenance fee.
What's in the container depends on what's been donated by the community, or procured based on community need/demand--i.e. there's a community wish list. We're talking things like tools, sports and recreation equipment, and event and entertainment gear.
The Thingery group, which was launched as a project of Vancouver Tool Library co-founder Chris Diplock. In 2017, several Thingery sites were approved, and the group is in a membership drive that concludes January 30, with a goal to get the 500 members on board needed to secure the balance (50% backing) from Vancity Credit Union.
The current sites seeking membership are: Grandview-Woodlands, Hastings-Sunrise, Kitsilano, and New Westminster. A fifth location, in North Vancouver, will opening up for membership starting this spring.
