A Telluride Treasure

For nearly 50 years, the Free Box has been more than just a place to swap clothes and goods — it’s a living symbol of sustainability and small-town magic

by JENNIFER JULIA

On a sunny Saturday, the crowd forming at 151 S. Willow St. is noticeable from more than a block away — it’s a busy morning at the Telluride Free Box.

As I approach, I spot a local mom stuffing the Free Box’s colorfully labeled kids section with piles of carefully folded toddler clothes. “My kids grew out of all these,” she explains. As she fills the cubby, a few other parents happily grab what she’s just put in. A 3-yearold girl with pigtails is the lucky recipient of one of these items: a pink hoodie with a furry trim. On the other side of the Free Box, an older couple is perusing the book section and walks away with a Mediterranean cookbook with a few sticky notes jutting from its pages, presumably marking the best recipes.

Such is a typical Free Box scene — a mix of treasure hunting, curiosity-fueled browsing and the sharing of stories. This convivial vibe speaks to why the Free Box has long endured as one of Telluride’s best loved landmarks.

When a community member left a box of clothing outside a local health food store back in 1975, the Free Box began its stint as a lively and practical recycling center, keeping reusable items out of landfills by offering them up to others for a second (or third, or fourth) go-around.

“When I first moved here, the Free Box was just a couple of cardboard boxes back behind the Silver Jack in an alley,” Heather Bachman shared during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Free Box on Nov. 4, 2024. Bachman said she didn’t know who built the first wooden Free Box on the sidewalk between Main Street and Pine Street, but that she helped construct the second wooden iteration.

But in 1983, the town replaced the sidewalk under the Free Box and the structure disappeared overnight. “People started asking why it went away,” shared Kathy Green at the event. The town told Free Box advocates that they’d have to go through the Historic and Architectural Review Commission (HARC) in order to get approval for a new structure, resulting in what Green remembers as “one of the biggest town council meetings that was ever held.”

Ultimately, Telluride’s enduring love for the Free Box prevailed. Green and her construction company, Bone Construction, rebuilt a new box on that same sidewalk off Main Street, where the Free Box has stood for most of its life. However, in November 2024, it found a permanent home at 151 S. Willow St.

Thanks to its new location, the Free Box has expanded, with a new block of shelving that sports bilingual signage.

“The best part about the recent move of the Free Box is that it is now on town-owned property, below the new affordable housing development,” explains Teddy Errico, mayor of the Town of Telluride. “This way, this Telluride institution is protected forever.”

Established rules keep the Free Box in working order. If an item is clean, in good condition and fits the posted criteria (no electronics or oversized furniture, please), you’ve got a green light to leave it for someone else to unearth.

More often than not, the best Free Box finds combine a bit of luck and a heap of serendipity. “Once upon a time, I had a pair of perfect brown leather loafers,” reminisces local Meghan Knowles. “One day, they began to fall apart beyond repair. You can only glue something back together so many times! I walked them down to the Free Box, hoping someone more gifted than I could find some life left in them. When I got there, I was greeted by a beautiful pair of nearly identical brown leather loafers!” Knowles’ uncanny find speaks to the often magical nature of the Free Box and the warmth of the Telluride community at large. “It was one of many moments that made me feel seen and embraced, and ultimately encouraged me to stay here,” Knowles recalls with fondness. “Thank you, Free Box, for your part in that!”