Walking through the doors at 2050 Chapel Hill Rd in Durham, North Carolina, I felt like I’d stumbled into a creative wonderland where discarded treasures find new purpose. The Scrap Exchange isn’t your typical thrift store.
It’s the largest reuse center in the entire United States, diverting over 850 tons of materials from landfills every single year since opening its doors in 1991. This is the kind of place that proves North Carolina creativity has no limits.
Inside this sprawling space, everything from fabric scraps and vintage buttons to office supplies and construction materials waits for someone with imagination to give them a second life. Teachers stock up on classroom supplies, artists discover unexpected mediums, and families hunt for affordable craft materials…