Three sisters started a business making little libraries. From making sales to designing to installing, the girls are hands-on.
Jane, Ruby and Lucy Longstreet had the idea when they were learning and practicing how to read. Jane is 10 years old, Ruby is 9 years old and Lucy is 7 years old. They stay in the Westport area and built their first library in their own front yard after their Dad, Joe Longstreet, built an at-home workshop in 2024.
“At first, we couldn’t read, and we wanted something unique in our yard that other kids who couldn’t read could learn how to read,” said Jane Longstreet. “We want everyone to learn how to read and practice reading, and it’s really fun.”
Their first little library was for their own front yard, soon they made another for their grandparents and another for their school, Académie Lafayette. A former school teacher, who teaches Ruby art on weekends, wanted one too. They decided to open their market and make them for anyone who wanted one.
Whether people are walking the dogs or on a run, the little libraries create a reason for people to stop, take a break and engage in reading. The libraries are a take-and-exchange system; take a book, leave a book.
“It’s really fun just to stop and look at all the details on the little libraries and say hi,” said Jane Longstreet.
Ruby made friends after the family installed their little library in front of their home, she said.
“Me and my best friend, Sydney, started to be best friends when she started to come by our little library,” said Ruby Longstreet. “She lives right around the block, and she’s my very best friend, and now we’re in the same class, and we just both think it’s really fun.”
The business is split into three, with each sister responsible for a branch. Jane handles the sales, making pitches and attending meetings with potential clients. Ruby Longstreet is in charge of the design and color elements. She consults with the clients to make the little library a perfect match. Lucy manages the construction.
“They get to learn about all different parts of business,” said their father, Joe Longstreet.
Although their business is focused on building and selling little libraries, it also gave Joe Longstreet a way to enjoy quality time with his daughters.
While Mom, Megan Longstreet, keeps life running smoothly for the family, Dad is teaching the girls’ entrepreneurship.
Although Joe Longstreet is now a software engineer, he grew up and started his career in construction, which he did until he was around 23.
He redesigned the inside of his house. What followed was the construction of a workshop in their own backyard, which serves as the home base for the little library business. Needing a space to work from home, Joe Longstreet built it himself over the years, with the help of his friends and family.
Joe Longstreet guides his daughter, Jane Longstreet, in using a nail gun in their home workshop. Zuri Primos
“I love it,” said Joe Longstreet. “It’s fun to work with them. I like teaching, and they like learning.”
He feels he has an unlimited creative energy that he likes to expend with his kids, passing it along.
To Jane Longstreet, being creative means “doing all the details and just working together and making things, not perfect, but it makes everyone love it,” she said.
The business brings their family closer, said Ruby Longstreet.
“It brings everyone joy just to be together and work together, and it’s really fun as a family,” she continued.
As a family, they support each other as well. From fighting nerves before a business call or just needing a break, they find ways to be there for each other, said Jane Longstreet.
“When we need a break, we send out the other girls, and sometimes we do each other’s jobs, too,” said Ruby Longstreet.
Building little libraries takes up a lot of time. The girls and their parents have found a way to balance it all and stay organized using a calendar.
“We do normally put school and homework and stuff first, but we still get the time to work,” said Jane Longstreet.
They work in the workshop before and after school, making time for homework just after they get home. They’re typically in the workshop until bedtime. The two older of the three also participate in a theater program.
“When they go to theater, I usually go out to the workshop to build little libraries and paint with my dad, and it’s really fun because then we get more Daddy-Lucy time and we get better dinners,” said the youngest of the three, Lucy Longstreet.
Although the work brings them happiness, it can be frustrating, too, the girls said.
“Sometimes it gets hard, and sometimes it gets frustrating, but I think it’s also still really fun,” said Ruby Longstreet.
Her favorite part about the little libraries is organizing the books in alphabetical order, and when there aren’t many books to organize, she knows a lot of people have visited it, she said.
In their own little library, they’ve seen books traded for stuffed animals, handwritten notes and even a harmonica once.
“It feels really nice that people like what we are making,” said Ruby Longstreet.
Jane, Ruby and Lucy’s favorite books include Harry Potter, the Magic Treehouse, Junie B. Jones and the Dork Diaries. They’re excited to share their love of reading as their business grows, they shared.
“The most rewarding part for me is every single time someone stops by the little library,” Lucy Longstreet said. “I don’t know every time, but when I see people stop by the little library and all the smiles on their faces, I just feel really happy.”