Feel Good Friday: Scrappy Elephant opens new location in Charlottesville
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- From art teacher to business owner, Sarah Sweet has changed the way artists can get supplies. She opened a second location of her store, the Scrappy Elephant, on Thursday, and she is already receiving a lot of support.
“The Scrappy Elephant is a creative reuse center," said Sweet. "It’s all about keeping craft materials out of the landfills and then getting them back to the community at low cost.”
She says this is a great way for people to buy second-hand supplies and it is also a way to recycle. One-hundred percent of the items being sold have been donated.
“We discovered this idea about, I don’t know three or four years ago,” said Sweet.
This is something she has wanted to do since discovering the idea but wasn’t able to fully see it through until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She used her spare time to create the business, which is still growing two years later.
“I found a space during COVID out in Palmyra and Fluvanna and it was kind of perfect timing because people were stuck at home, a lot of people took up art and crafting and then a lot of people are also purging their homes of things,” Sweet said.
This business has kept 16,000 pounds of waste from going into the landfill since opening its first shop in Fluvanna County.
Sweet encourages people to check out her Scrappy Elephant Studio, which has classes available.
“Even if you don’t think you’re an artsy person, I have a lot of people tell me ‘Oh I’m not creative,' and then they come here and I have had so many people say 'I’ve been inspired to start sewing again since I’ve come here,’” she said.
So, she challenges you to seek your creative side and visit her new business in Charlottesville.
Her new store is located at McIntyre Plaza by the Habitat for Humanity Restore.
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