Hello Friends and Supporters of the 757 Creative ReUse Center,
We need a new home, and we need your help to get there!
The 757 Creative ReUse Center found its current home in February 2019 when we popped up INSIDE of The Yard, a furniture and housewares shop. In April of 2019 The Yard moved onto a larger place and we took over the lease at 1904 Granby Street. At that time, 1500 square feet seemed like a tremendous amount of space and the task of filling our shop with a curated selection of second-hand arts and crafts supplies seemed daunting. However, the community response was excellent and we started receiving so many donations that our space quickly became full! Now our staff creatively organize and reorganize every week to fit as many bargains as we can into a space that’s stuffed to the brim with fabric, yarn, stamps, paint, beads, baskets, canvases, books and much much more. And while we do like our spot and absolutely adore our neighbors, we desperately need more space and this is where we need your help.
Just like everything else these days, moving is EXPENSIVE. And because we strive to keep our prices as low as possible, we exist on a shoestring budget. Without a fundraising campaign, we cannot afford to move into a larger spot. And while we don’t have a new location picked out yet, we’re estimating our moving costs to be about $15,000.
So if you believe that the 757 Creative ReUse Center is an essential resource for our community, please consider giving financially to help us meet our goal and find a new home.
FAQs:
Why don’t you just stay where you are?
Simply put, this space no longer meets our needs. We’ve outgrown the space, size-wise, and to continue operating with a mission of reducing waste and increasing accessibility, we need more space! Additionally there are ongoing maintenance issues that have made our building unsuitable. It’s an old commercial building and the HVAC hasn’t been updated since 1995. It’s too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. During the heatwave in August this year, we’ve had to reduce our hours and close at 3pm because it’s just too warm inside our building for our staff to work comfortably or safely.
What are you looking for in a new space?
We have a long wish list of things we’d LOVE to have in a new space and we know we probably won’t get everything (in our price range) but here are some of the big things we’re looking for:
About 3000 square feet
MUST have reserved parking
At least two bathrooms, ADA compliant preferred
Good location in a walkable area of Norfolk with other relevant businesses
I live in Va Beach / Chesapeake / Hampton and would love a place like this in my area! Will you move here?
Probably not. We love our friends in Va Beach / Chesapeake / Hampton, but that’s not our home. We’re dedicated to providing a small, local business in Norfolk for arts and crafts supplies. Other cities already have a Michaels, Jerry’s Artarama or AC Moore whereas Norfolk has no other outlet for arts supplies.
When are you moving? Do you have a location picked out?
We’re not sure. We’re currently raising funds to support a move while simultaneously searching for a suitable location. We’ve seen several places already, however none of them have checked enough boxes for us. Please let us know if you have a location in mind that would be great.
What if you don’t move?
We’ll continue operating here until we find our next spot.
Why should I donate? What’s in it for me?
A larger space means a better shopping experience and more great deals! We’ve currently got stuff overflowing from shelves, piled on top of and under tables, stuffed into filing cabinets and falling out of bins. And while we strive for organization, the lack of space makes that problematic.
Larger space also means we can accept more donations, thereby keeping more items out of the waste stream. We’d love to be able to take some more oversized items and accept donations every day we’re open.
We’ll also be able to create an indoor classroom in a larger space. We LOVE hosting classes but our outdoor classroom is only comfortably usable for a few months each year. An indoor classroom can be activated year-round regardless of the weather. And we’ll be able to expand our workshops and offer by-the-hour studio time as well.
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