Upcycling for Austin Artists

One Person’s Junk is Another’s Treasure

Words by Melanie Faz Edited by Ashley Bowling | Photos From Austin Creative Reuse

From a unicorn composed of recycled material to community workshops to fashion shows, Austin Creative Reuse, serving as a thrift store for Austin artists, simultaneously breathes new life into thousands of pounds of repurposed materials.

Nestled in Windsor Park, this 11,000-square-foot one-stop-art-shop presents shop-goers with a colorful collection of unique crafting supplies from multicolored construction paper to goofy googly-eyes to fluffy fabrics. Austin Creative Reuse’s (ACR) diverse inventory is comprised completely of donated materials, which allows it to offer inexpensive crafting supplies while prioritizing sustainability.
Just this summer, the organization hit a massive goal, diverting two million pounds of reusable materials from landfills. This effort is largely due to its dedicated staff and volunteers who sort and organize a monthly average of 45,000 pounds of donated creative materials.

“Our current diversion rate is about 97%,” says Executive Director Jennifer Evans. “Of the materials that come to us, only about 3% ultimately end up in the landfill. That number is really important to us. We’ve been focused on trying to keep that number steady, even if our volumes have increased.”

Reducing waste is just one of many positive impacts ARC is making within the creative community. In 2021, ACR earned the Best Earth-Friendly Crafting award by the Austin Chronicle. Yet, their early years as an organization paint a contrasting picture to the rapidly growing impact they’re making today.
Starting as a community initiative, ACR was formed in 2009 by a group of like-minded individuals who saw the opportunity to bring an arts reuse center to Austin. The organization would host small collection drives and spread the word about the importance of reuse habits.

However, it wasn’t until 2015 that the organization had an actual art center. Jennifer recalls the grand opening, “The first day we opened the doors, we weren’t sure if anyone would show up, but they did!”
Initially, the center was entirely volunteer-run and only open for six hours a week. It wasn’t until 2020 that they quickly outgrew their small space in The Linc and moved to Windsor Park.

Three months into adjusting to their new location, the pandemic sent the entire country into lockdown. The organization implemented innovative solutions like an online store, non-contact pickup, and outdoor sale events to stay afloat financially. “I’m really proud of our staff for how well they just creatively came up with ways to do these things,” Jennifer admits.

Today, they’ve expanded their reach to offer supplies to schools and teachers. Recently, they received a grant from Impact Austin to purchase a vehicle to take their school supply program on the road. “It’s going to be some type of van or truck filled with school and classroom supplies,” Jennifer gushes.
The organization wants to continue inspiring people to consciously choose sustainable options as their first choice by providing high-quality products. “Our goal is to not duplicate the work of other great organizations in town,” Jennifer explains. “We really focus on creative materials, especially on things that you cannot take to another thrift store.” She encourages Austinites that the next time they see scraps or junk to remember they’re just reusable materials waiting to be reimagined by Austin Creative Reuse Center.

Contact:
(512) 375-3041
2005 Wheless Ln.
austincreativereuse.org