If you visit Scout Vintage Collective in New Hope, chances are you’ll leave with at least one good idea for your home.
“It’s amazing what you can do with an idea,” says Sara Garcia, who started Scout three years ago. “We consider ourselves an idea store. A lot of people come in here for an idea.”
Scout is full of inspiration. If you don’t want to purchase a finished product, you can see how to spruce up old furniture or give another item another purpose. If you don’t consider yourself creative, you can even take a class and learn a few crafts yourself. At the store, Garcia has been on the front lines of the DIY movement and says it continues to be fueled by creativity and affordability.
“We’ve become such a throw away society and people have gravitated toward things that are still functional and could use a coat of paint or new wiring,” says Garcia. “You find that you end up with a product that is as good or better and you can also end up with a product that is in a better price range for people.”
The hunt for the perfect item
Finding the perfect item to repurpose or fit your space often is the hardest part of the process. You have to scout out items at garage sales or thrift stores.
Arc’s Value Village has catered to the DIY crowd by showcasing finished products and supplies in a special section of the store.
“For me, I start walking through stores and ideas come flooding in my head,” says Micah Schultz, a DIYer who works at Arc’s Value Village in New Hope. ” There’s unique stuff here that you don’t see in a big box store.”
Save money by ‘upcycling’
To save money when you shop, look for discounts offered on special tag days. Every day there’s a certain color tagged item for sale. Also, Schultz says you look for the materials more so than the actual product. Once when he needed a scrap of leather to complete a project, he didn’t pick up leather at a craft store, but instead looked for a leather item.
“Leather can be very expensive, but I got all the leather I needed in a purse that was only two dollars,” says Schultz.
Sara Garcia has a soft spot in her heart for picking up items at thrift stores like Arc’s Value Village, which uses profits to fund a cause.
“Scour the thrift stores, go to some of the area places, see what you find and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the projects they can find there at a price point that is reasonable, and you are supporting a great cause,” says Garcia.
Scout Vintage Collective is open to the public on Thursdays through Sundays. Once a month, they host an outdoor sale with local food and vendors.
Shannon Slatton
sslatton@twelve.tv
On Twitter: @sslatton
July 13, 2016
Source: Channel 12
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