West Philly Tool Library 4620 Woodland Ave. (215) 833-3190 Tue. & Thurs., 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sat., 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Books belong in libraries. Power tools do not. Or do they? Welcome to the West Philly Tool Library, an initiative sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition. For $20 a year, members have access to a large and constantly growing collection of tools — about 1000 are available. Members often work together on projects and many community groups use the tool library as a resource to assist with neighborhood beautification. For those not-so-DIY-inclined, there are occasional instructional classes, as well as a more traditional library of home-improvement books. Beware of returning your tools late — just like the real library, there are fines.
For more information, see www.westphillytools.org
Mariposa Food Co-op 4726 Baltimore Ave. (215) 729-2121 Mon.-Thurs., 12 p.m.-9 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. You think you’re sustainable, shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s? Try Mariposa. Mariposa Food Co-op is a member owned and operated food cooperative located just a few blocks west of campus. Stocked with fresh, often organic and local produce, a full range of vegetarian options, dairy products and baked goods, as well as a large selection of gluten-free products, the co-op carries commonly available goods at lower costs, as well as many specialty products that can’t be found in your normal grocery store. The store is staffed by Mariposa members, who are all required to work one two-hour shift per month, as well as pay nominal membership dues. Interested? Non-members can shop for free once, just to try it out. Thinking of joining? Get on the waiting list.
For more information, see www.mariposa.coop
