THE EXTERIOR OF THE JUST-OPENED FREEBOOKSTORE IN BRADDOCK. MOST WANTED FINE ART PAINTED THE EXTERIOR WITH FUN IMAGES AND VIBRANT COLORS TO MAKE THE SPACE INVITING. | PHOTO BY KATHLEEN GIANNI

The opening of freeBOOKstore introduces a new chapter to Gisele Fetterman’s initiatives to improve the Braddock community and beyond.

FreeBOOKstore opened June 21 as a part of Free Store 15104, Fetterman’s nonprofit which has been providing recycled and donated items to the Pittsburgh community since 2012. While Free Store 15104 offers a range of supplies and merchandise from produce to purses, freeBOOKstore holds a literacy focus with books for all ages and reading levels.

Their overall goal is simple: get more books in homes. And what better way to do that than to give them away for free?

“Statistics show that the access to books at home makes a really big difference in reading,” Fetterman says. “Not so much just going to the library or encouraging reading, but the fact that you can get home, look around and have books that are easily accessible increases your likelihood of being a reader as a child and as an adult.”

THE INTERIOR OF THE FREEBOOKSTORE, WHICH OPENED NEXT TO THE FREE STORE 15104 IN BRADDOCK | PHOTO BY KATHLEEN GIANNI

The books are donated to the store from around the community, and the wide selection guarantees something for all book lovers.

With no library card system or returns necessary, visitors can come check out the store and grab a book or two to take home — no strings attached.

“The more books we create access to, the better,” Fetterman says.

The shop asks guests to follow three simple rules: be kind, take only what you need and pay it forward, as noted on a sign within the free store.

Similarly to Free Store 15104, freeBOOKstore is located within a repurposed shipping container that once housed the nonprofit Red Lantern Bike Shop. After the bike shop outgrew the space, Fetterman said they had to figure out how to repurpose the open container.

“We toyed with the volunteers with a couple different ideas, and then one of our volunteers, Melvenia, said we should do a bookstore,” Fetterman says. “Our bookcases were pretty full, and we thought that was a brilliant idea, so we expanded into that space.”

The container is now a cozy library and reading nook. Most Wanted Fine Art painted the outside of the container with smiling books and colorful flowers, bringing Fetterman’s vision of the happy scene to life.

The bookstore is run by volunteers, and it is open next to Free Store 15104 at 420 Braddock Ave. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Just a 10-minute stroll down the street, Braddock community members have access to another collection of free books at Carnegie One – Andrew Carnegie’s first library that originally opened in 1889. It reopened in late May after a $21 million renovation, which features a refurbished  music hall, ceramics studio, community reception space, classrooms, a basketball court and, of course, books.

THE FACADE OF CARNEGIE ONE, WHICH REOPENED IN BRADDOCK IN LATE MAY AFTER A $21 MILLION RENOVATION | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

The library is free and open to the community on weekdays, and all are welcome to take advantage of its resources and programs.

Across the Monongahela River in Homestead, B is for Books offers another community-driven space designed especially for young readers. Operated by the nonprofit Reading Ready Pittsburgh, the bookstore opened last year to make books more accessible for kids.

“Our audience has been growing and growing,” says Mark Sepe, outreach coordinator. “Every month we’re doing an event for families and kids, and that always brings in at least a dozen every time, sometimes as many as 50, 60, 80 children.”

B is for Books invites every child who walks through the door to take home up to three free books from their collection, and the shelves are constantly restocked thanks to a steady stream of donations. The bookstore additionally encourages educators to use B is for Books as a resource for stocking their classrooms.

B IS FOR BOOKS IN HOMESTEAD OPENED IN FEBRUARY 2024 AS A PLACE FOR FREE BOOKS AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES. | PHOTO BY KATHLEEN GIANNI

“Giving to Goodwill and other thrift shops is fine because children shop there, too,” Sepe says. “But I think people who are donating their used books not only have a sentimental connection to them, but since they have a sentimental connection, they want to make sure that they’re ending up in the right hands. Which this bookstore is great.”

In addition to giving away free books, the store is a hub for literacy-focused programming. On July 12, the bookstore is teaming up with The Carnegie Museum of Natural History to host B is for Bugs Day, a daylong event filled with bug-themed books, live insects from the museum, activities, giveaways and snacks.

Community members interested in supporting the store can find volunteer opportunities on Reading Ready’s website.