This past summer we undertook a couple of extra fun & creative projects involving one key theme: trailers. Yup, you read that right! What’s so fun about trailers? Well, turns out they make great little libraries & fruit stands! We had an old camping trailer and an old horse trailer hanging around; both used in the past, but both left jobless for this season. So we came up with a plan!
First up was the camping trailer. In the past, this lived at our pick-your-own patch. Back when the patch was across the road, and we didn’t have much to offer other than delicious berries waiting to find a home! Since moving across the road and into our new space, the trailer was left abandoned. But it had a fond place in our heart, and we couldn’t bear to see it sit empty. Plus, as farmers, we’re the original recyclers. We work with a minimal budget, and always look around for existing tools before buying new. This attitude often leads us down winding, off-the-beaten-path trails, but we tend to prefer it that way.
Anyways, here’s a before picture of our dear camper trailer. It’s a bit hidden, but hopefully you can see it back there. It was white and green, and we used it to store picking supplies: empty quarts, baskets, and flats + flags, signs, and other odds and ends.
To start its transformation, we emptied out all those old supplies so that we could work with a clean slate. Next, we gave it a makeover. We painted it white & red and added some pretty white detailing. Here’s another photo:
So now we had a beautiful looking trailer, but we needed a job for it! We did some brainstorming, and first came up with the idea that it should be parked at our Innerkip fruit stand, located on the main street of our little town. We’ve had a stand there for a few years, but again, it could use some improvement. Eventually, we came up with a plan: let’s open a free little library! We had regular shoppers stopping by anyways, so why not offer them an added experience of checking out books? We put a call out to the community, asking for used book donations, and my goodness they did not disappoint!
The books started to pour in, at an incredible rate — we could hardly keep up with them! We got to work cataloguing, putting an old-school pocket and card in the back of each book. We added a few shelves to the compliment the existing ones within the trailer, and then we started to stack. We stocked the trailer with a stamp and a notebook so that they could be easily checked out, added a sign to the exterior of the trailer. All that was left to do was open the doors!
Here are some more photos:
After a successful season at our Innerkip Fruit Stand, we moved the trailer over to our Farm Market & Pick-Your-Own patch to help add to the fall festival activities. Now it’s in storage for the winter, but we can’t wait to bring it back to life again this spring! We’re going to be putting out another call this year – but this time for a volunteer to help us keep it organized. If you know of any book-loving locals, let us know! And keep an eye out on our social media & website for a volunteer application. We have other exciting ideas too – more little libraries, a book club, and more!
Now, for that second trailer! After such a successful first trailer conversion, we had high hopes for the old horse trailer. I (Alex here!) did some research and came up with a bit of a vision board, which I am thrilled to say came to life perfectly! We decided that the horse trailer would make the perfect addition to another one of our roadside stands, located in the Toys R Us parking lot in Kitchener. We first started selling at this stand in the early 90s, when my grandpa would sell on our behalf. Once it became too much for him, we took over. Since then it’s been a simple set up with a tent & tables. But we felt like it could use a makeover too.
We unfortunately don’t have a great “before” photo, but it was a pretty basic horse trailer prior to its conversion, painted grey. We brightened it up with a coat of white paint, added wood planks on the back and sides, shelves on the interior & exterior, and an adjustable shade that could be propped up during the day and taken down at night. Final touches included painting our logo & one of our favourite sayings “live eat local” and we were ready to roll!
Overall it was a wonderful summer full of adventure, creativity, and thinking outside the box. We had a blast and can’t wait to see what we come up with this year!