SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WFRV) – Used color pencils, scraps of paper and an old dinosaur toy are things often found in a landfill.
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But at the Hello Happiness Creativity Center, one person’s trash is their treasure.
“We have an art supply thrift store, it’s everything from paint, brushes, glue to fabric and paper,” founder Kim Geiser said.
Instead of selling finished projects, the non-profit is focused on creative reuse, encouraging people to use donated materials and create something new.
“Unlike a regular thrift store where they are selling things, we are trying to get people to use things in a creative new way,” Geiser said.
Walking through the store, you never know what you might find. In one bin, there are old stickers, and in another, Monopoly game pieces.
But shoppers will find at least one thing—low prices.
“We literally have 5¢, 10¢, 25¢ and 50¢ things,” Geiser said. “Our price structure is 80% off retail or more.”
The mission sprouted from what Geiser saw during her time in social work.
“I saw families that were trying so hard, that loved their kids, but they had to decide between buying food or paper,” Geiser said. “As a kid, it was heartbreaking to me.”
Geiser says that being creative is an essential part of life, especially for her.
“The creativity side of things is so engraved in my life and has made me exactly who I am, that I don’t think any of us should be deprived of that,” Geiser said.
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Geiser says the Hello Happiness Creativity Center saves around one ton of supplies from landfills.
“It adds up to like 55,000 pounds of stuff [yearly] that’s out of the landfill,” Geiser said.
