Denver Tool Library Celebrates a Decade of DIY Dreams and Shared Resources

Every First Friday evening, as the Santa Fe Arts District buzzes with energy, Sarah Steiner can be found strolling the aisles of the Denver Tool Library. She weaves through shelves stacked high with tools, from humble hammers to hefty industrial saws, leading visitors on what her team has taken to calling “Disneyland Tours” of its space at 555 Santa Fe Drive.

The atmosphere is lively, filled with the hum of conversation and laughter over craft beer, but it’s Steiner’s enthusiasm that captivates the crowd. “I spend four hours walking up and down the shop, giving this same spiel to people who are having a beer and are so excited to see all the tools and hear about the space,” Steiner says with a smile. “It’s really fun to walk people through and see their eyes light up. You can see their project list start accumulating in their minds.”

It’s this precise moment – the spark of inspiration in a newcomer’s eyes – that Steiner lives for. Founded in April 2015, DTL has become much more than a borrowing hub for tools. It has grown into a thriving community center dedicated to empowering residents through skill-sharing and sustainable living.

As DTL celebrates its tenth anniversary on Friday, April 4, Steiner reflects on a decade of growth and innovation. Originally from Texas, Steiner moved to Denver in 2004 and never anticipated founding a tool library.

“It all started because we were making do with really crummy tools,” Steiner recalls from helping her now-ex-boyfriend build a recording studio for his work as a sound engineer in 2014. “We were broke and using a circular saw when we needed a chop saw. Then, one day I saw that they were opening a tool library in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It just randomly came across my Facebook feed. I thought, ‘That’s so cool. That’s exactly what I need. Where’s ours?’ We didn’t have one yet and then it just kind of snowballed from there.”

When she discovered Denver lacked its own, Steiner’s DIY spirit kicked into high gear. She dove into research, exploring different business models and surveying locals to tailor the library specifically to Denver. The founder and executive director’s first big win came through a crowdfunding campaign.

“We did a survey to see what potential future members would want out of it and kind of started building from there,” Steiner says. “Then we found a space, started taking tool donations and did this fundraiser where people could buy their memberships in advance. That’s what was really the proof of concept: when that fundraiser was successful. That meant enough people had pre-bought their first year of membership that it gave us kind of the seed money to get started.”

Initially, DTL operated from a tiny space rented cheaply from a sympathetic landlord, hidden behind an art gallery and accessible only through a secret back-alley entrance. “We had to write on Google, ‘Don’t come to the front door,'” Steiner laughs. “Every year we took over a little bit more square footage.”

It gradually expanded, eventually gaining a front entrance and enough space to host a community workshop in 2018. The additional space allowed the Tool Library to host classes and house larger, specialized tools – a significant turning point in DTL’s growth that’s allowed it to serve more people.

“We get a really broad range of people using DTL for a really broad range of things,” Steiner says. “We get a lot of first-time homeowners, artists and businesses that come that are trying to make improvements to their space. I remember when Chaos Bloom Theater on South Broadway was getting started and they came here to borrow tools from us to build their stage and help get their space set up.”

At its core, DTL operates on a community-driven, nonprofit model. Steiner says, “in the spirit of DTL, we took a very DIY, figure-it-out-as-you-go approach to building the business.” Initially relying on memberships alone, which are $150 for individuals, $200 for a household or $600 for organizations annually, DTL expanded revenue streams through classes and selective grants, balancing sustainable practices with pragmatic financial management.

COVID-19 brought unprecedented challenges, forcing Steiner and her assistant director, Garrett Carr, to temporarily run the library as a drive-through service. “We set up a table at the front door, and people would tell us what they needed,” she recalls. “We disinfected every returned tool, just keeping things going until it was safe again.” When restrictions eased, the return of in-person classes helped reignite the community spirit that makes DTL thrive.

Today, the library boasts over 6,000 tools in its inventory, including the very first – a turquoise Makita circular saw affectionately cataloged as Tool #1. “People still come and check it out,” Steiner says. “It’s always fun to tell them that it’s a little piece of history that they’re taking home with them so take extra special care of it.”

From its humble beginnings, the library now employs twelve staff members and fifteen instructors. Steiner, who volunteered unpaid for the first three years and was working full-time as an editor for a women’s business leadership startup out of Boulder for its first four years, eventually made running DTL her full-time passion.

“I still remember the first day we were able to pay ourselves as tool librarians,” Steiner reflects. “So not even for any of the work we were doing outside of open hours, but all of a sudden, we started getting paid for being on shift. We paid ourselves $12 an hour and we thought we’d made it.”

Looking ahead, Steiner dreams big. “I’d love a whole DTL compound,” she muses, envisioning dedicated spaces for metalworking, woodworking and communal areas surrounded by gardens. “We’ve grown so much over time. It’s funny to think that we once had too much space. Now we’re just all on top of each other so I’d love a big, beautiful space that has a room for everything we do.”

This Friday’s anniversary event aims to celebrate the organization’s “creative and scrappy” ethos. Celebrating ten years exactly to the day since its opening, DTL invites the community to explore tool demonstrations, enjoy beverages from New Belgium Brewery, shop from talented staff and teachers and network with fellow DIY enthusiasts.

“My approach to planning is to just get everybody together and have fun,” Steiner says. “Over the next ten years, I hope to strengthen the community aspect of the Denver Tool Library and expand the physical space to facilitate more in-person gatherings and connections.”

Denver Tool Library Tenth Anniversary First Friday Celebration, Friday, April 4, 5 to 9 p.m., 555 Santa Fe Drive. Free. Learn more at denvertoollibrary.org.