Grow Something With Us
This spring, Johnson’s Literary Depot is turning our patio into a small downtown garden — a place to read, gather, rest, and share stories.
We’re inviting the community to help build it.
Join us for a hands-on volunteer day installing planters, filling soil, planting native flowers and herbs, and preparing a welcoming outdoor reading space for families, kids, and neighbors.
No gardening experience needed. Just show up ready to help.
📍 333 E Main Street
📅 April 18th, 2026
⏰ 10:00AM - 1:00PM - Drop in Anytime
Support the Community Patio
Not everyone can haul dirt — but you can still plant something here.
Every planter, flower, and book-reading seat exists because someone decided community mattered enough to fund it.
Your contribution directly builds the patio garden and keeps it maintained for public use.
WHY WE’RE DOING THIS
Downtown spaces work best when they belong to everyone.
The patio garden will become:
• An outdoor reading area
• A children’s storytime space
• A quiet rest stop during events
• A pollinator habitat using native plants
• A year-round gathering place
We believe bookstores shouldn’t just sell stories — they should help create them.
IMPACT
This garden will remain open to the public during business hours.
It will host:
• Kids Read for Free storytimes
• Outdoor book clubs
• Community events
• Quiet reading hours
Your support doesn’t build a decoration.
It builds a place people return to.
Special thanks to Brightspeed and Little Free Library for sponsoring our LFL located on our patio! This event will also celebrate the hundreds of kids books already distributed through this library and our Kids Read for Free mission.
Volunteer With Us
We’re building the patio garden together in one day.
Tasks include:
• Assembling planters
• Moving soil and gravel
• Planting native flowers and herbs
• Labeling plants
• Light cleanup and watering
You don’t need tools. You don’t need experience.
You just need clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
Families and kids are welcome (with supervision).
Volunteer Perks
• Beverages and Snacks
• Early access to patio before opening
• Your name on our Garden Supporter page
• First invite to summer patio events
Frequently Asked Questions
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Donations to the Community Patio Project are not tax-exempt. However, if you would like to support our mission of improving children’s literacy in East Tennessee consider donating for tax-exempt purposes to our non-profit partner Kids Read for Free directly at kidsreadforfree.org.
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Donations to the Community Patio Project will be used directly in the supplies, materials, and furnishings for the patio. If any remaining funds exist, they will be utilized for soil supplements or seeds for future years.
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Yes, scroll back up and rsvp to our volunteer list!
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Yes, but on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to the bookstore to confirm your in-kind donation and discuss logistics.
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Of course! This patio is a community patio and has been a meeting place for over 100 years in Downtown Johnson City from a civic building with community space to a red-bricked patio outside a bookstore, we love to honor the memorial of someone special in creating a vibrant space for our community to share.
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Of course! It will be a community space that is open during business hours, come by anytime and we can see what needs to be done from watering, weeding, or simply tidying up the patio. We want our community to take pride in this space and make it warm and inviting year-around.