Stolen Little Free Library Saddens Park Heights Community

Baltimore salon owner and street librarian vow to replace stolen book-sharing box in underserved neighborhood.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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A Baltimore salon owner and a local street librarian, known as Storybook Maze, teamed up in October 2025 to install a Little Free Library outside the salon in the Park Heights neighborhood, an area considered a 'book desert' with limited access to books for children. However, the custom-made 'Lil Red' library was stolen just a few months later, devastating the community. Despite the setback, Maze and the salon owner, Ari Winfield, are determined to replace the library and continue providing books to the neighborhood's children.

Why it matters

The Park Heights neighborhood is considered a 'book desert,' with the nearest public library branch located about 2 miles away. The Little Free Library, known as 'Lil Red,' was an important resource for local children to access books and foster their love of reading. Its theft is a significant loss for the community, highlighting the ongoing challenges of providing equitable access to literature in underserved areas.

The details

In October 2025, Storybook Maze, a local street librarian, teamed up with Ari Winfield, the owner of Shears of an Artist salon in Park Heights, to install a custom-made Little Free Library outside the salon. The library, resembling a red London phone booth, was designed to be eye-catching and inviting for the community. Maze and Winfield put a lot of work into weatherizing and installing the library, as well as landscaping the surrounding area, to make it a welcoming space for children and families. However, just a few months later, on Valentine's Day 2026, the library was stolen, devastating the community.

  • In October 2025, Storybook Maze and Ari Winfield installed the 'Lil Red' Little Free Library outside the Shears of an Artist salon.
  • On Valentine's Day 2026, the 'Lil Red' Little Free Library was stolen.

The players

Storybook Maze

A Baltimore-based street librarian who teamed up with a local salon owner to install a Little Free Library in the Park Heights neighborhood.

Ari Winfield

The owner of Shears of an Artist salon in the Park Heights neighborhood, who collaborated with Storybook Maze to install the 'Lil Red' Little Free Library outside her salon.

Daniel Gumnit

The CEO of Little Free Library, who reached out to Storybook Maze and Ari Winfield to offer a temporary replacement or a new Little Free Library to continue serving the community.

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What they’re saying

“We really wanted to have faith that it wasn't going to happen, and now that it has, we're definitely disappointed. But we're thinking of other ways so that what one person's bad actions doesn't ruin it for everybody in the community, because most people, obviously were using it perfectly. Most people were being generous and taking care of it, and it was in good condition still.”

— Storybook Maze, Street Librarian (Baltimore Fishbowl)

“Ms. Maze is a true literacy champion in her community, and I was honored to serve alongside her on a panel at the Open Books, Open Minds conference. When we learned that her book-sharing box had been taken, we immediately knew we wanted to replace it with a new Little Free Library so she could continue putting books into the hands of children and families.”

— Daniel Gumnit, CEO, Little Free Library (Baltimore Fishbowl)

What’s next

Storybook Maze and Ari Winfield are considering replacing the stolen 'Lil Red' Little Free Library with a larger, more secure 'Big Red' version that would be drilled into the ground to prevent future theft.

The takeaway

The theft of the 'Lil Red' Little Free Library in the Park Heights neighborhood, a 'book desert,' is a significant setback for the community's efforts to provide children with greater access to books and foster a love of reading. However, the determination of Storybook Maze and Ari Winfield to replace the library and continue their mission highlights the resilience and commitment of community members to address the lack of literary resources in underserved areas.