Joel Cayouette
On September 30, 2026, Rentukka LOOP opens its doors in Jyväskylä, Finland. It's a new community sharing space where residents can borrow household items, tools, sports equipment and event supplies instead of buying them. It's also a place to share skills and meet neighbours.
We're proud that the LOOP team chose Patio to run the service. Congratulations to everyone who made it happen, and welcome to Patio!
What is Rentukka LOOP?
Rentukka LOOP is a community sharing service (often called a library of things) run by Soihtu, the business unit of the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä (JYY). It was built together with JYY, Sovatek and the City of Jyväskylä, as part of the Good Cities Interreg Europe project.
The idea is simple. Most of the things we own sit unused most of the time. A drill gets used for a few minutes a year. A tent comes out once a summer. Party supplies get bought for one evening. LOOP turns those items into a shared resource for the whole community.
Members can borrow:
Household items
Tools
Sports equipment
Event supplies
A strong model for student communities
Student housing is one of the best places for a sharing service. Students move often, live in small spaces and are on tight budgets. They rarely need to own a drill, a projector or a camping stove, but they all need one at some point.
When the student union, the city and local partners build a lending service together, it becomes part of everyday campus life. This is a model other university cities can copy.
Why LOOP chose Patio
A sharing service lives or dies on its operations. Members need to find items, reserve them and know when to bring them back. Staff and volunteers need to know what's out, what's due and what needs repair. When those jobs are spread across spreadsheets, forms and email, a small team burns out fast.
Patio brings all of this into one platform:
Catalog: a clear, accurate inventory. Take a photo of an item and Patio's AI builds the listing for you.
Memberships: a built in CRM for members.
Reservations and loans: members browse and book online, and staff always know what's out and when it's due back.
Payments: collect membership fees, rental fees and deposits online, directly in Patio.
Public page: a built in site builder, so LOOP has its own online catalog from day one. Here's LOOP's.
Events and workshops: sign ups and reminders, which is ideal for skill sharing sessions.
Maintenance: track repairs so broken items don't go back out.
Automations: reminders, follow ups and status updates run on their own.
Because it's all one system, LOOP didn't have to piece together separate tools for the catalog, bookings, members and the website. [Add a sentence on setup, e.g. how quickly the catalog went live or how many items were added.]
Visit the grand opening
Where: Rentukka, Taitoniekantie 9, 40740 Jyväskylä, Finland
When: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 18:00 to 21:00
The program:
18:00: explore LOOP and join the Skill Dating sessions
19:00: official ceremony at Restaurant Rentukka (2nd floor), with speeches, a ribbon cutting and refreshments
Can't make it? Browse the Rentukka LOOP catalog on Patio.
Frequently asked questions
What is Patio? Patio is an all in one platform for tool libraries, libraries of things and rental operations. It combines inventory, memberships, reservations, events, maintenance, donations and a public website in one place.
How do I start a library of things with Patio? You can start for free, add items by snapping photos, and share your public catalog with members right away.
