A pop-up at an artist’s market at Sugar Maple, an Instagram post that reads more like a Craigslist ad: that’s how Emily Downes had been selling her large, curated collection of craft supplies, compiled from what remained following each of her puppetry workshops and community art classes. Inspired by creative reuse storefronts like Scrap and The Waste Shed, Downes knew that fellow creatives would probably love to give these materials a new life.
Julianna Jackson, too, had her own experience with leftover art supplies from watching her mother run Art Revival, a creative reuse store in Alton, IL. Originally from St. Louis, Jackson and her partner Nate Carpenter were surprised to find that there were no similar shops to be found in artsy, blue-collar Milwaukee.
On July 30, Jackson and Carpenter opened 414 Art Revival in West Allis. Not a month later, Downes opened Magic Hands on August 25 on the Upper East Side. Where once were zero, two art supply thrift stores sprouted in Milwaukee this summer.
What is Creative Reuse?
Creative reuse shops collect and resell discarded art and craft supplies. “Discarded,” though, is really a misnomer, as these materials are still perfectly good; think an abandoned multi-pack of paint pens you only needed one color from, or an unwanted embroidery kit you’re still waiting to regift. Storefronts like these lower cost barriers to creativity, promote local circular economies and divert waste from landfills — and in recent years, they appear to have grown in popularity across the state…