Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse is a hub of thrifty finds for artists and teachers

By Megan Shinn

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Step inside the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse and you’ll find stories galore. It’s a story from the front of the room about art supplies, sports icons and personal moments to the back of the room with inspirational projects and items, from days gone by.

“These security cases for DVDs, I’m sure someone will make like an amazing light box with or something,” Cammie Brady, the nonprofit’s executive director, said.

It’s like a thrift store, but for art supplies and non-traditional items most thrift stores don’t take.

“Going through the donations is really fun, because you really, truly do not know what’s going to be in each box, there’s such a variety of things that you could encounter.”

She said they receive about 30 boxes of donations, per day. “Within that kind of chaos, there is a lot of order and things are organized in a really fun way,” said Brady.

Volunteers organize the donations, while the displays and labels showcase the items. Some crafters find materials, like yarn and fabric while others find small parts, for home repairs and big part items for teaching in schools.

“Kind of any and all mediums of work,” Brady said. “A lot of educators really benefit from the ability to buy materials in bulk at really low prices.”

No matter what’s found, everyone learns through this non-profit that household items can live a second life and make great art instead of adding to a landfill.

“Doing a small D.I.Y project in your home or at your office or whatever it might be, that’s all of us exercising our creativity and creative thinking is so important on a larger scale,” Brady said.

Every cent from items sold goes back into running the shop. Grants go towards programs to teach people about reusing materials. It’s like an ecosystem, giving back again and again.

“It’s the fire that keeps us going and keeps us really motivated to take as much as we can and get it back into the hands of creative people,” said Brady.

It’s a second life for items, helping the environment and connecting community while proving your only limit is your own creativity.

The store is open every day 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The next event for the non-profit is on Aug. 31 from 12-4 p.m., at Westinghouse Park.

The Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse will have free, hands-on crafting activity, for all ages, a treasure hunt, an art swap and more.

There are some donated items the non-profit does not take; to find a full list we have a link to the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse here.

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