Spotlight on Edinburgh Library of Things
In our latest member spotlight, we’re thrilled to be joined by Phoebe Hesketh, Co-founder and CEO of Edinburgh Library of Things.
What does your social enterprise do, and why do you do it?
ELoT is a collection of high-quality items—primarily kitchenware, cleaning tools, outdoor, household, and events equipment—that members can borrow. We keep money in the community’s pockets by offering an affordable (and sustainable) alternative to buying.
What products, services and/or experiences do you currently offer?
We offer a rental service for a variety of household and outdoor items. Members can reserve and use our stock as well as get discounted tickets to our workshops. We offer workshops based on sustainability, for example, upcycling and houseplant propagation. Members can choose the amount they pay through our tiered pricing as well as how frequently they pay. We also offer memberships for organisations that want to use our items for events.
What’s your personal motivation?
Alix is creative and cares deeply about the world. She is very motivated to provide a service that builds community, offers everyday folks an easy way to make a meaningful impact against consumerist and waste-generative culture, and helps people keep their hard-earned money out of the profit margins of unethical megacorporations that are actively destroying the world.
Phoebe is conscientious and driven with a passion for social and environmental justice. She feels strongly that an egalitarian and sustainable future is dependent on circular & library economies and feels privileged that she gets to help bring that future through ELoT.
What is next on the horizon for your social enterprise, and how do you plan to get there?
Our next milestone is to hit 100 members! We’re offering our first 100 members the opportunity to build our inventory collaboratively by requesting specific items.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome in your social enterprise journey?
The biggest thing we’re working to overcome is the stigma against second-hand or shared items (due to a history of focusing on individual ownership), as well as a general lack of knowledge about circular economies and libraries of things, specifically.
What is your most satisfying achievement so far?
Our interactions with our members by far! We’ve had members who have shared photographs of the things they’ve done with our items, like juicing apples for cider with our juicer and making pasta using our pasta machine. We’re also really proud to have received ECCAN funding, which was allocated based on votes. It meant a lot to see that people were both excited about and supportive of our mission.
How has being a member of Social Enterprise Scotland helped you?
The team have been absolutely lovely and equally excited about our work! They’ve welcomed us with lots of information and opportunities for sharing the word about what we’re doing. We’re excited to see what the future holds with their support.
Who in the social enterprise community inspires you and why?
The Edinburgh Tool Library, Edinburgh Board Game Library, BONZAI, and other libraries dotted across Edinburgh have been a huge source of support and inspiration. It’s awesome to join this community. We’ve also collaborated with the Barnton Bunker, who have been doing some great work with their community garden. Natalie Arnold is a great vision holder, and their space is really amazing.
What top tips would you give to other social enterprises?
I think our biggest advice is to be prepared for a slow start and a slog. Building from the ground up and responsibly takes time, consistency, and iteration.
For more information about Edinburgh Library of Things, please visit their website and follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Want to read more Member Spotlights? Visit our blog. If you’d like to be featured, please email membership@socialenterprise.scot.