SECOND USE BUILDING MATERIALS OFFERS THREE EXCITING EVENTS NOV. 17 - DEC. 1

 

You’ve probably heard the old saying “What goes around comes around.” That sentence perfectly describes the architectural salvage and deconstruction business called Second Use Building Materials, with a retail store at 3223 6th Ave. S. in Seattle. Here’s why:

1.)         The good people at Second Use, along with their customers, prevent perfectly usable building materials, fixtures, furniture, hardware, lighting, and more from ending up in landfills. Instead, these leftovers from demolition or remodeling projects “come around” again as they find new homes and sometimes new uses in the hands of creative people.

2.)         If “What goes around comes around” refers to karma, Second Use can look forward to an increasingly happy future. This business with a conscience understands that the more good we do, the more we give back to society, the more we encourage others to care about the planet, the more positive things will “come around” to us again.

According to Outreach Coordinator Mary Anne Carter, the mission of Second Use is, " ... to make salvage affordable, accessible, and intuitive for the community.” With these goals in mind, the business has planned three exciting events well worth attending. They are:

·         A Salvaged Gift Workshop on November 17—11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

·         A Black Friday Sale on November 29

·         A Handmade Market on December 1



Salvaged Gift Workshop

Here is a way for you to create or buy wonderful holiday gifts without following along with the crowd and spending your hard earned money at a big box store.

Second Use Staff Member Sheena McNeice will teach the coat hook/jewelry holder part of the workshop.

“Although building materials comprise the bulk of our inventory, there is no limit to the resourcefulness of our customers,” Carter said. “Shutters become magazine racks; window sashes become greenhouses; bowling alleys become coffee tables; hardware becomes jewelry, bathtubs become planters and ponds.”

She wants people to realize that greater use of salvage means diverting waste from landfills and increasing the community’s self-sufficiency. It costs nothing to observe the workshops. If you want to make a project, there is a modest $10 fee for materials. Second Use has this notice on their website: Registration will be limited to 45 guests and will fill up quickly! Please register online today. Kit fees will be required prior to the event and can be paid by check, cash, or credit card. To pay with a credit card, please call Second Use at 206-763-6929.

Dirk Wassink, one of three owners at Second Use, says the business not only reclaims materials but also passes along some of their stories. How true. Our house in Tacoma has a beautiful and very unusual vintage glass light fixture in the entry, bought at Second Use for far less than what it would cost in an antique store. Someone remodeling an old house in West Seattle thought it was junk and wanted to get rid of it. Now it has a happy new home where it is appreciated. My husband has used bricks from Seattle’s early streets for garden paths and flower bed edgings. I could tell you plenty of personal Second Use stories.

Do you see the potential in these materials? The staff at Second Use does. See below.



You never know what you’ll see when you visit as it changes all the time. They have everything, including the kitchen sink! That could mean a marble fireplace mantel from a mansion, interior doors from an elegant old hotel, or vintage school desks. You can even conveniently check out the inventory online.

Wassink is amazed by the creativity of the store’s customers when it comes to finding new uses for the vast array of objects and materials in stock. He invites everyone to discover the rewards of repurposing would-be waste for gifts or your own use.

 

Make candlesticks from recycled turned wood!

“Our Salvaged Gift Workshop on November 17 provides an invitation to those of us who might otherwise hesitate to make something cool from salvaged materials to go ahead and jump in,” Wassink said. “Each one of us has creativity, and this workshop helps nudge that creativity along with just enough guidance and materials."

He believes that when people become involved in making the things they use and give as gifts they take, "... a powerful step to balance out the consumer orientation we encounter so much elsewhere in our lives." He suggests we put a little of ourselves into gift giving this season.

 

McNeice will guide you through every step.



Stay tuned for another post on Good Life Northwest about the exciting Black Friday Sale on November 29, and the Handmade Market happening on December 1.

Note: If you already produce handmade items to sell, and would like to do so at the Handmade Market event for only $15 per space, you can access the vendor application here. Don't wait too long. They are only accepting twenty vendors.

Doesn’t all of this sound like fun? Thank you, Second Use!

Second Use Building Materials has moved to 3223 6^th Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98134. Phone (206) 763-6929 Click HERE for a map and directions.

Photos by Mary Anne Carter

 Please "like" Good Life Northwest on Facebook. Thanks!

  

 

 

Tacoma Shop Owner Sets Example for the Nation

Today, the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the beginning of our country's involvement in World War II, we ought to be thinking about the strength of our nation. It is not what it used to be. If you are one of the millions of Americans joining the movement to help rebuild our economy and create job, by buying holiday gifts made only in the U.S.A., you should know about The Pacific Northwest Shop in Tacoma's Proctor Business District, whether or not you live in the area. This bustling business on the corner of 27th and Proctor could make you believe in prosperity again.

The last time I stopped in to do a little shopping, in addition to plenty of customers, owner Bill Evans had stacks of packages as high as his counter ready to ship to destinations all across the country, or possibly the world. "That's just from today," he told me. And the day was far from over.

This business success couldn't happen to a nicer guy. But the best part is that what is good for Evans, is also good for many others here in the Pacific Northwest. His sales certainly impact the 250 or so regional artists, artisans, small scale food producers, authors, vintners, and those who run cottage industries, all of whom supply his wares, and all of whom he knows personally. 

He hopes they, in turn, will spend their profits locally. Keeping money circulating in the Northwest economy puts a smile on his face, and mine too, especially when I find the perfect gift. That could be homemade soap, food items, art glass, books, pottery, jewelry, smoked salmon, Washinton State wine, or any of countless other high quality products he sells. You can see them all on his website, here.

Just as ABC News reported in a story this week, (watch the video here,) people all over the country are taking this Buy American movement seriously, with tangible results: newly created jobs. If we start to realize the impact of our choices and our collective power as millions of consumers, maybe things will turn around. We're a nation of strong, smart people, and change will come thanks to grassroots efforts. Let's all make it a point to buy American goods, thereby creating American jobs. It all starts in your own home town. Evans does his part with enthusiasm.

Long before "Buy American" became a slogan and a cause, Evans actively advocated not only this idea, but also the "Buy Local" movement.  But no matter what your motives, the goods he sells offer enough reason to shop there, regardless of where you live. In addition to the brisk mail order business he does through his website, where orders over $100 ship free, local shoppers can make their selections and have him ship the package for them.

So, does Evans have a trade secret? How does the Pacific Northwest Shop do so well in today's economy? The answer is simple, and it's no secret. In fact, he flaunts his philosophy to the world.

"Hey, did you see my sign in the window?" he asked me. Since I'd approached the building from the east, I had not, but I went outside and around the corner and there on the side facing 27th I saw the reasons for his success spelled out, along with the attitude of gratitude that attracts so many customers to his store.

It says, "THANKS FOR SUPPORTING OUR SMALL, FAMILY-OWNED, INDEPENDENT BUSINESS. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!"

You're welcome. And here's my thanks to retailers like Bill Evans and all of you who are choosing to BUY AMERICAN AND BUY LOCAL. I can't think of a better way to show your patriotism.

Vashon Island Art Studio Tour Continues Dec. 10-11

We all hope to have meaningful holidays, but beyond religious and cultural meaning, how about making your purchases more meaningful too? Your support of local artists, artisans, food producers, craftspeople, and the shop owners who sell their wares helps not only your home town but also our nation's economy. And you end up with better merchandise.

Welcome to the first in a series of posts about ways to BUY AMERICAN  AND BUY LOCAL when selecting gifts this year.

Pottery pitcher and tumblers by Liz Lewis, who also provided the photo.

Start the month of December in a delightful way with the Vashon Island Art Studio Tour, only a short ferry ride from either Seattle or Tacoma. Held every May and December, the self-guided tour takes place from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday this weekend and next, Dec. 3 - 4, and Dec. 10 - 11. It includes dozens of different studios to visit, some with more than one artist, selling things you would never find at a mall. Each one contains the essence of another human being's creative vision and interpretation of their world and its beauty.

Two views of a handmade bell by Gordon Barnett

Meet and speak with these artists. In some cases you will see them at work. Ask questions. When you can tell the recipients all about where their gifts came from, how, and by whom, they were made, those gifts become even more special.

I asked a few questions myself, of island potter Liz Lewis, who is promoting and participating in the tour.

"This Holiday Tour will be the biggest ever!" she said. "The Tour has been a regular event on Vashon for over 30 years, morphing from a potters' tour, to the Barnworks watercolor show, and then the combining of resources to produce an art tour that includes whoever is making art and wants to be involved. On Vashon, that's a lot of artists!" Indeed. You can take a look at an interactive map and links to individual artists on the event's website, here.

Lewis told me that the twice-a-year tours provide the framework for her production cycles, meaning she has a great selection to offer customers. "I love to present my pottery for sale directly from my studio," she said. "For one thing, it is direct and personal. And for another, it gives me great motivation to hose down the studio! I try to be available to do wheel demos during the Tour which makes the process come to life for visitors."

Print by Mary Margaret Briggs

Vashon Island, less than 14 miles long and about three miles wide, remains a rural and peaceful place just minutes from the urban lifestyle of the mainland, the kind of place where a creative person can find the quiet and inspiration they seek. That might be why its population of not much over 10,000 people includes 1,500 individuals who dedicate their lives to the arts, in one form or another. You will find the quality and sophistication of their work equal to anything a big city can offer.

If you don't live nearby, you can plan your visit as a weekend getaway. Stay at one of several B&Bs, found through the link below. Hungry? No problem. The island offers many distinctive eateries that offer healthy, delicious food.

On behalf of all the artists, Lewis extended a welcoming invitation: "It is a fun excursion to come over to the island with a carload of friends to tour the many unique art studios, talk to the artists, and do some shopping." I never need an excuse to visit Vashon, but the Vashon Island Art Studio Tour would make a good one. Remember, the link gives you access to the sites of individual artists and views of their work.

Other helpful links--
Ferry Schedule: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries
Dining and Lodging on Vashon Island: http://vashonchamber.com/dining_lodging.htm

Copyright 2011 Candace J. Brown     All photos courtesy of the artists and not to be used without their permission.