ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Imagine a library, but with tools instead of books. There's a nonprofit in Rochester where residents, organizations and even business owners can borrow tools. 

What You Need To Know

  • The SEAC Tool Shed provides any resident, business or organization in the Greater Rochester Area access to a wide variety of tools to borrow for a small annual fee
  • Anyone in the nine-county region can join for as little as $25 a year
  • The South East Area Coalition is a Neighborhood Preservation Company that facilitates community and economic development in southeast Rochester

The South East Area Coalition Tool Shed is a do-it-yourselfer's dream. It has just about everything and anything you need to start checking off that to-do list.

"I've got roofing, plumbing and electrical," said Nick Wilbur, Tool Shed coordinator. "This is a pole saw, it's probably a $200 tool," said Wilbur. 

Nick Wilbur and the team at the SEAC Tool Shed have an inventory of more than 1,100 tools. Most of them are donations.

"It starts in an organic way where it is just 'I have a bunch of stuff, why don't you borrow it,' OK, well, they want to borrow it too. How do we make this organized? And then there you go, you have a tool library," said Wilbur. 

Anyone age 18 and up in Greater Rochester's nine-county region can use the tools. All you need is a Tool Shed membership. It's super inexpensive. Memberships start at the 'Tinkerker' level of $25 a year and on up to "contractor" status for just $100 a year.

Heather McKay's a Tool Shed member. 

"I have been doing a lot of house projects now that my career has wrapped down a little bit so I have more time to do stuff myself. So why buy all the tools when I can borrow the tools, "said Heather McKay from Rochester. 

The Tool Shed has 650 members from 42 ZIP codes. Wilbur estimates the Tool Shed has saved people roughly $350,000 in tool purchases and kept an estimated 17 tons of tool waste out of landfills since it opened two years ago. 

The Tool Shed is doing so well it has added a Repair Crew, offers free DIY classes and will add a mobile tool shed soon.

There are similar tool lending programs in other communities. Buffalo has The Tool Library and in Albany, you can borrow tools through The Historic Albany Foundation.