Fall River’s Free Library and Art Gallery Brings Community Together

A new addition to South Main Street in Fall River is catching the attention of many in the community. A free little library/art gallery is now located outside of Laura’s Vintage Attic, across from Christopher’s Cafe. It was created by Mya Aguiar.

How the Project Started

"I didn’t start this for money or exposure," Aguiar said. "I just want people to interact with, share, and respect the project for what it was intended to do: encourage creativity and connection for the people of Fall River."

Her labor of love has become a destination for the whole community to enjoy. "The little library and art gallery of Fall River is a self-funded, non-profit project simply created to bring people together," she said.

Aguiar is no stranger to creativity. She previously displayed a similar project in downtown New Bedford, but wanted to spread the love a little closer to home. "I'm from Fall River, so I wanted to try to bring more of that creative energy to my own city and had been brainstorming ways to do so," she said.

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"Almost every day coming home from work, I would drive by this seemingly abandoned little library box and one day out of curiosity, I uploaded a photo of it to a local Fall River group page asking if it had belonged to anyone," Aguiar said.

It once belonged to Christopher’s Cafe, but the staff was no longer able to maintain it and passed it along to another business. Not long after, the box was abandoned again.

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"Christopher’s Cafe reached out and graciously allowed me to take over the box to clean up as long as it remained a project for community use," Aguiar said.

Reviving the Library Box

She quickly got to work making it her own. "I spent the course of two to three weeks cleaning it up, fixing hinges on the door, sanding and repainting it and gathering friends to come help bring it back to life," Aguiar said.

Community Support and Contributions

The community stepped up and donated a slew of items, from books to art, and before long, it was chock-full.

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Aguiar credited Laura’s Vintage Attic  and Christopher's Cafe for allowing her project to come to fruition. "I would not have been able to do this without their support," she said.

Two-in-One: Library and Art Gallery

"There are two libraries that will be connected together," Aguiar said. "The top portion has a small cabinet-like door that opens up to an interactive free little art gallery, where the community can freely exchange, take, or leave miniature art pieces. The bottom portion will be a free little library used for exchange of different varieties of books for all ages."

She hopes the little library and art gallery will give other artists and creatives a medium where they can share their work and spread joy.

"The overall goal is to encourage creativity and connection while adding a little charm and joy to the neighborhood and show the community of Fall River that art is for all," Aguiar said.