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To break up a patch of concrete in his yard, Martin Reed needed a demolition hammer and found himself in a quandary – such tools cost thousands of dollars, which seemed a steep price for a one-time job.
But a friend directed him to the local tool library, where Reed was able to borrow a $2,000 hammer and in a few hours complete his project. He was hooked.
Loyal patrons of the Sonoma County Tool Library, formerly called the Santa Rosa Tool Library, all share similar stories. The ability to borrow anything from rakes and wheelbarrows to post hole diggers and reciprocating saws, have made the library a beloved resource for Sonoma County residents.
“There’s something really attractive about getting to know and share resources with your neighbors,” Reed, the library’s new executive director said.
Saturday marks the library’s grand reopening in a new location.
Sonoma County Tool Library executive director Martin Reed at the library’s new Mendocino Avenue location in Santa Rosa on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Shop vacuums, seed spreaders, and wheelbarrows available for checkout at the Sonoma County Tool Library in Santa Rosa on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
A variety of power tools available at the Sonoma County Tool Library in Santa Rosa on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Tools available at the Sonoma County Tool Library in Santa Rosa on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Saws, rulers, and levels available at the Sonoma County Tool Library in Santa Rosa on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Tool available for checkout at the Sonoma County Tool Library in Santa Rosa on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
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Sonoma County Tool Library executive director Martin Reed at the library’s new Mendocino Avenue location in Santa Rosa on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
After years of working out of a shared space on Fifth Street in downtown Santa Rosa, the Sonoma County Tool Library moved to the coLAB coworking space at 427 Mendocino Ave. The move was triggered by the end of the library’s shared lease, Reed said.
Accompanying the move are a slew of other changes: the name, switched to better reflect the county community the library serves; new leadership under Reed, new circulation software and a new website launching next week.
But the mission of the library remains the same.
It was founded in 2008 by Dustin Zuckerman who started by loaning tools out of his home until moving the library into its own facility in Santa Rosa 2011. Zuckerman serves on the library’s board of directors, Reed said.
A team of 12 volunteers, including Reed, run the nonprofit library. Its roughly $25,000 budget relies mainly on donations and a few grants, Reed said. Tool rentals are free.
The budget covers rent, software, tool repairs and acquisitions, Reed said.
“It’s pretty shoestring,” he said. “We do a lot with a little.”
Whether its a weedwhacker for stubborn sprouts, or a wrench for an emergency bicycle repair, the library’s inventory, totaling over 1,000 tools, likely has the answer. Last year, it served 700 borrowers who took out the equivalent of 4,000 tools, Reed said.
The reopening is coming just in time for the start of the library’s busy season, as the weather warms and the demands of yardwork grow, including the need to create defensible space ahead of peak fire season, Reed said. The library has been closed since November and has been fielding increasing inquiries from borrowers eager to get to work.
Looking beyond the reopening, Reed has a few other goals for the library. He’s hoping to expand the network with micro-sites to service demand in other parts of the county, like Sebastopol, to spare patrons having to travel to Santa Rosa.
He also wants to broaden the library inventory to include tools for hobbies and crafts.
One item on Reed’s list? A large pressure cooker, which has been regularly requested by one borrower who makes tamales once a year but doesn’t have space at home to keep a pressure cooker.
It’s the library’s mission as a resource created by and for community members that appeals so much to Reed.
“The library model is really powerful,” Reed said. “In the same way books increase knowledge, this increases access.”
The Sonoma County Tool Library is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.