Tiny Treehouse Post Office Delights Hikers in Tilden Park

By Frances Dinkelspiel,
Berkeleyside

Have you seen the tiny tree house hidden in the Berkeley Hills?

In December, Lea Redmond of Berkeley’s Leafcutter Designs built “The Tiny Tilden Post Office” in a knothole in a tree off Curran Path in Tilden Park.

The tiny treehouse was a thank you to writer and editor Gareth Branwyn, who wrote "Down the Rabbit Hole," an article about Redmond, for Boing Boing. He described Redmond as “doing the work of the fairy.”

“She writes little tiny letters on little tiny stationery and seals them with wax inside a little tiny stamped and canceled envelope,” wrote Branwyn about Redmond’s business. “The letter is then placed by an official World’s Smallest Postal Service employee (er… Lea) inside a little tiny blue post box.”

Three days ago, Redmond announced the location of “The Tiny Tilden Post Office,” which had previously been known only to a select few and hikers with sharp eyesight.

“Until now, the location of the tiny treehouse has been kept secret; its tiny delights reserved for those with a patient hiking pace and a keen eye,” wrote Redmond. “Now we want to share it with all of you, and encourage locals and visitors alike to get out into the woods and follow the map to hidden treasure.”

Redmond and her brother, Devin Redmond, started Leafcutter Designs to “create a more playful and peaceful world by offering curious goods, unique promotional and custom products, and participatory social art projects,” according to the company website.

The World’s Smallest Post Service project started in 2008.

“Lea strapped a tiny wooden desk to her back and bicycled to a nearby bakery, where she set up her miniature post office for the first time,” according to the company website. “Since then, this service has expanded online to offer tiny custom letters and cards, as well as packages with whimsical objects and sweet messages. We’ve sent tens of thousands of tiny mail items to recipients all over the world.”

Read more and see more pictures about “The Tiny Tilden Post Office.”

KQED News Associate Berkeleyside is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif. Click here if you would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your inbox once a day for free with Berkeleyside’s Daily Briefing email.