In America you would run into at minimum the following, or a summary of why we can't have nice things: Cost: rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in a major metro, e

In America you would run into at minimum the following, or a summary of why we can't have nice things: Cost: rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in a major metro, even split 10-20 ways, could still be a few hundred a month. Permitting: Even if the apartment is zoned appropriately for a club or business, still need construction permit for the shelves/weight stored on them, fire permit for the storage of flammable materials, fire permitting/review for maximum occupancy, plus at least one other that won't be apparent until neck deep in the project. Incorporation: Would be very, very wise to do this under an LLC (in CA, an extra 1000/year tax + minor fees and hassle) Liability: Need insurance in case someone gets hurt (e.g. someone trips over a pile of books left on the floor) Lease: Boiler plate leases will typically indirectly disallow this sort of endeavor (via guest limits or similar) (This isn't even considering any library-specific laws or requirements, which presumably exist in at least some jurisdictions)