When you visit the Southeast Area Coalition mobile tool shed, expect Tera James to greet you with a warm smile — and a love for DIY she gained at a young age.
She remembers the times when her dad would ask her to retrieve tools while he worked.
“I was the tool go-getter, a 'gofer,' I’d say,” James said.
Today, she’s “the face” of the mobile unit, driving and operating the van and helping with memberships and rentals. It's a full-circle moment, she said.
“I like the idea of the mobile unit,” James said. “To be able to bring the tools to other parts of the neighborhood that may not even know about the location on University.”
The said the van serves as an extension of that brick-and-mortar location on University Avenue. The mobile unit will visit different R-Centers throughout the week with roughly 100 tools onboard — ranging from garden tools to chainsaws, and even power washers.
“It's really no different than a library,” said Nick Wilbur, toolshed program manager. “It is just a library, but without books.”
Wilbur said the mission is to bring affordable tool rental services directly to residents with memberships as low as $25 a year.
“I can't fit everything on (the van),” Wilbur said. “So, if you need something... you can take a request to Tera, and we'll load it up for whatever your stop may be, as best we can.”
The schedule for the mobile tool shed is available on the SEAC website.
