How The Kind Bus Came to Life

Most big ideas don’t start with a business plan. They start with a moment that hits you so hard it forces your life onto a different track.

For me, that moment was Alchemy 2016—an art event in the woods of Georgia where people build wild things, share weirder things, and generally remind you that the world is more interesting when humans are allowed to be fully themselves. I left that weekend sore from dancing, sleep-deprived, and absolutely lit up with the urge to create something that wasn’t just for my community, but with my community.

I wanted to build a space that sparked imagination, no permission slips required. Something scrappy, accessible, and defiantly kind.

The first idea? A free store. Clothes, home goods, books—whatever could circulate back into people’s hands instead of a landfill. Then it morphed into a pay-what-you-can bookshop + café. Eventually, after peeling back layers and ego and unnecessary complexity, I settled on the simplest version: Books, tea, art.

The bus itself wouldn’t exist without a ridiculously kind donation that gave me the nudge I needed to stop dreaming and start welding. And once it landed in my hands, something magical happened: Clover High School’s engineering class took it on as their senior project. They transformed the empty shell into a cozy, odd little environment filled with shelves and quirks and character—exactly the way a bookmobile should be.

And from there? The Kind Bus just… became its own thing.

It’s carried thousands of books. It’s spilled bubbles down sidewalks. It’s sparked conversations between strangers who might never have crossed paths. It’s been a small but stubborn reminder that community doesn’t need to be complicated to be powerful.

People call it whimsical, but to me it’s more punk than anything. Not loud or spiky—but rebellious in the quiet way: Giving away books for free, building connection without commerce, reminding people they still have imagination, joy, and softness left in them.

That’s how The Kind Bus started. Nothing perfect. Nothing fancy. Just a big idea, a donated bus, a crew of high-school engineers, and a stubborn belief that community deserves something weird and wonderful.

And honestly? That’s enough.