B.C.'s first non-profit store selling used art supplies opens in Victoria
The province’s first non-profit "Creative Reuse Centre" launched this past weekend in downtown Victoria with over 1,000 people attending during the opening weekend.
The centre is called Supply Victoria and it's a non-profit that redistributes used art, office, and school supplies through its low-cost supply store. It also offers programs and creative reuse classes to youth and adults.
Executive director Ashley Howe says Supply Victoria is like a thrift store for art supplies with everything from paint, brushes and paper, to bottle caps, pompoms, books and more.
"This is an affordable and more sustainable option and alternative to traditional art supplies," she said. "There are amazing resources for artists, students and teachers here."
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
Howe says the concept is unique to Victoria, with only a handful here in Canada and more than 130 creative reuse centres in the United States.
"Everything is either gleaned from local business waste or donated by the community," said Howe, whose mission is not only to offer affordable art supplies but also to protect the environment through reusing what otherwise might go into the garbage.
Supply Victoria plans to divert over 4,000 pounds of materials from the landfill in its first year of operation in its new space, putting the supplies into the hands of people who need them the most.
"So there’s a large portion of materials needlessly going into the landfill every year," said Howe. "So we’re just acting as a redistribution center to give those materials another life."
Supply Victoria has already been able to divert 2,000 pounds of waste from the Capital Regional District’s Hartland Landfill over the past four years.
It has done this through education and sustainable art activities with over 750 students, young and old, since its inception in 2018 through community events, workshops and partnerships with neighbourhood associations and community centres.
With a permanent location now open, Supply Victoria plans to expand its ability to capture more materials before they are discarded.
Howe says the centre will also help the City of Victoria meet its Zero Waste Plan target of reducing landfill waste by 50 per cent by 2040.
It’s a win-win for people and the environment, she says.
NEW SPACE AND LAYOUT
Creative minds will be able to find almost anything they need at a very affordable price, at least half of what you would pay in a retail store, says Howe.
Supply Victoria has 1,200-square-feet of space, including two rooms for supplies and a large open space for hands-on art education with reclaimed materials for youth and adults. It also offers space to rent to Victoria’s arts, culture, and non-profit sectors.
Soon, Supply Victoria will offer Creative Reuse Kits, described as curated take-home crafting activity packages, and launch an online store featuring reuse retail inventory with local pick-up or bike courier delivery.
You can also volunteer at the centre and gain skill-building opportunities, connecting with other creatives, Howe says.
Supply Victoria is located at 750 Fairfield Rd. and is open Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Donations are accepted on Tuesday evenings between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Interested donors can check out the centre's website for current materials being accepted and criteria before dropping off donation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.