Suzy, David, Andrew and Cameron Collins with their Little Free Library (photo courtesy of Suzy Collins).

Neighbor Suzy Collins had been asking for a Little Free Library for years. Her husband David, an architect, was not as excited about the prospect of a little structure in the front yard where neighbors can trade books.

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Suzy noticed Little Free Libraries on a visit to Oregon a few years ago, and knew it was just what Dallas needed. After years of failed attempts at Christmas and birthdays, David asked what Suzy wanted for her 60th birthday this June.

“You know what I want,” Suzy told him – and she got her wish.

But if David was going to build a Little Free Library, he was going to make sure it was architecturally consistent and aesthetically pleasing. After renovating their kitchen five years ago, the Collins family saved the custom made cabinet fronts with leaded glass, and David decided to use them for the Little Free Library. The structure is painted to match the home on Avalon as well.

He spent over 30 hours building the library and when the Collins’ sons came to visit for the Fourth of July, they installed the 70 pound library together as a family. It has already withstood its first torrential downpour and remained dry as a bone.

The library has two shelves, and Suzy has noticed neighborhood children adding and taking books from the lower shelf with children’s books. They became official and joined the Little Free Library organization, receiving a Little Free Library number over 73,000. They join a network that spans 85 countries and exchanges millions of books a year.

“It makes me happy when I drive up every day,” Suzy says.  “I have seen people walking by, and think that is really cool.”

Neighbor Christine Clore’s granddaughters Kate, Maggie and Claire are devoted fans of the Little Free Library (photo courtesy of Chirstine Clore).