PITTSFIELD, Mass. – A new bench was secured for next to BB’s Book Nook.

The Book Nook is a free little library we first told you about this summer, when Brielle Blessing created it to provide books to her community. 

But she and her family had to look for a new bench after the bench she bought with her own money was stolen.

“I was devastated. I was devastated. It was like super… I was just very sad about it. I mean, I just couldn’t even believe that someone went and took away the bench after I tried to provide to the community and make the community a better place and bring anyone together, that someone would just think nothing about it and take it away,” Blessing said.

After she posted the news of the bench being stolen, a woman named Becky reached out to say her husband Andy would build her a new one. 

“She just said, ‘What do you want? My husband will make you a new bench,’ and that was like so uplifting. I was so happy when I saw that it was like beyond kindness when I saw that,” Blessing said.

Andy, who built the bench for Brielle, said he enjoys woodworking and does it as a hobby. 

He said when he heard about the bench, he researched bench designs and ordered the materials the next day. 

The bench took him two weekends to finish, and he hand-delivered it to Blessing when he was done.  

“It was amazing he put so much hard work into it and I’m just so thankful for him,” said Blessing.

She and her family have now installed security measures around the little library in the hopes this doesn’t happen again.

“Scott installed this bench very securely into concrete slabs. We have added a chain lock over here. We have some signs to notify people they are on camera, and we have multiple cameras around the perimeter of our yard,” said Jodi Blessing, Brielle’s mom.

Brielle Blessing said the whole thing is a lesson – something good can come from an unfortunate situation.

“There’s always somebody who can really give back and really show their kindness and really replace something and make it even better than it was, so I’m really thankful for all of this,” Brielle Blessing said.

 Since the start of the little library, the house has been overflowing with book donations and have new books going into BB’s Book Nook daily.

The free little library is at the corner of Bartlett and Broad streets.