A NEIGHBORLY OUTREACH SURPRISE: A free book exchange in a re-used old blue refrigerator sits adjacent to the sidewalk in front of a small business at 390 Charlotte Street in downtown Sydney. Sidewalk Joy spots use the same micro free exchange concept, but usually focus on non-book items like mugs, small toys and hand-crafted art. They are mostly in front of residential properties and are becoming more popular around the world. Photo by Tom Urbaniak.Article contentWithin walking distance of my home in Glace Bay, there is a tiny, purple and white, wooden, public-facing exchange library. It’s in front of a modest, tidy home. It’s a gesture – a contribution – to people walking by.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentArticle contentNow imagine a similar, quirky, one-of-a-kind box displaying little toys, ornaments, mugs or unique trinkets for exchange.Article contentArticle contentAlas, a so-called Sidewalk Joy spot. The Sidewalk Joy movement is gaining traction, including here in Nova Scotia. And that’s a good thing.Article contentSidewalk Joy’s focus is not miniature libraries; the tiny libraries often identify with a different network. But the concept and the micro scale are similar: The idea is to leave something and take something, if you wish. Or you can just stop and look.Article contentThe owner/host builds an artful, accessible display structure, often on a little pole and with a clear door.Article contentQUIRKYArticle contentSidewalk Joy spots include whimsical mug exchanges, seed exchanges, take-one-leave-one dinky car shelves, little covered bulletin boards for messages of hope and inspiration, offers of stickers and little dinosaurs, crayons, walking sticks and more.Article contentThe world may be moving toward the mega, the artificial, the cynical and the aggressive. But the Sidewalk Joy spots gently pull us in the other direction. They say, “Welcome! Please stop! I want to share something with you!”Article contentArticle contentThere’s nothing overtly political in this pop-up movement. But there is something positive, personal and neighbourly. The spots inherently promote re-use.Article contentArticle contentThe moniker Sidewalk Joy and a growing online map tracking more than 2,450 sites were created by Rachael Harms Mahlandt. She got interested in the installations about five years ago with her family in Portland, Oregon. They would go on walks to find local curiosities. They built a little dinosaur-themed box and started mapping others in the neighbourhood.Article contentThe expanding global map is on a website called Worldwide Sidewalk Joy, where it is free for places to register.Article contentThere are currently just three Nova Scotia spots on the actual website, where each one is described, illustrated and coded: The Cape Breton Trinket Trade Box in East Lake Ainslie, a Free Little Art Gallery in Brooklyn and My Mug Exchange in Wilmot.Article contentAVOIDING ELITISMArticle contentAm I over-romanticizing about these little, whimsical sidewalk installations?
Sidewalk Joy movement will be good for Nova Scotia
