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Meet Jayne Blewitt of Who Gives a SCRAP Creative Reuse Centers

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jayne Blewitt.

Jayne, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The idea to open up Who Gives a SCRAP Creative Reuse Center stemmed from growing tired of our day jobs and looking for some way to give back to our communities. This idea and business model is not a new one and has been out there and in some places for more than 40 years.

My business partner (Lorrie Myers) and I decided to give it a try beginning in June 2015. We registered as a Public Benefit Corporation. Patagonia is also a PBC. A public benefit corporation is a type of business entity formed in the state of Colorado that seeks to improve society and the environment in addition to gaining profits. We are an all women-owned and operated business and our mission is to be a champion of the environment, by encouraging re-purposing, re-using and up-cycling through educational programming, and by introducing innovative ideas in our community.

Soon after we began working on our idea, my sister passed away. She was a milliner, costume maker and crafter. I was the executor of her estate and soon realized that we had enough supplies/materials and inventory that we could begin looking for a location to officially open our doors. We found a home in 400 square ft space and began the business on Nov. 1, 2015. Since then, we have moved to our third location in Colorado Springs (now 4000 sq. ft.) Our Fort Collins location opened in May of 2016 and has since moved from an 800 sq. Ft space to a 3000 sq ft. space.

To date, we have diverted 404,900.33 pounds (202.45 tons) of clean, reusable materials from ending up in the El Paso and Larimer County landfills since collection began in July 2015.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For the most part, it has been very smooth. We could not have done this without the great support of our donors up and down the Front Range and the many volunteers who spend time in our shops helping us to sort and price items and then getting the inventory out on the sales floor.

The biggest challenge, which I think is true for most small businesses, is the operational costs of having a brick and mortar shop. The cost of rent and other expenses keep going up. So just when we think we are getting ahead – two steps forward, and ready to hire a new employee or try to increase employee wages, we take three steps back.

We continue to scratch and claw our way to keep our doors open and become sustainable.

Please tell us about Who Gives a SCRAP Creative Reuse Centers.
Who Gives a SCRAP is a donation-based thrift store that carries a mix of new and gently used art, craft and hobbies supplies in addition to unique vintage items. We carry everything from scrapbooking supplies, game pieces, leather scraps, jewelry (new and broken) fabric and yarn, the variety is a crafters dream. Who Gives a SCRAP fills a unique market niche and community sustainability need by diverting common household and crafting materials from landfills through creative reuse and re-purposing. We receive donations of well-kept, good condition materials that are no longer needed by the owner and resell them to teachers, artists, crafters, and others who re-purpose the supplies into newly-desired final use products. This business model fulfills an important environmental function and provides affordable supplies to those who need them, both of which are valuable to the community.

If we receive donations that are not art supplies and cannot be re-sold at our shops, we work with many community partners that will use such items as coats, shoes, boots, toiletries, backpacks, excess school and office supplies. Nothing goes to waste, because we are zero waste!

We are proud to say that we have stayed in business and can continue our mission. Not sure what sets us apart from other businesses but I know we work tirelessly to keep our doors open. We are most proud that in 2017 we were the recipient of the BBB Prism Award for the Social Impact Startup of the Year.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
That is a very good question. I will have to pause there because there are probably many things that I/we would have done differently, knowing what we know now. But that is the past and we try not to look back and continue to look forward.

Pricing:

  • Our prices range from 1 cent per item on up.
  • Fabric averages $2 per yard.
  • Items such as sewing machines and looms can range from $25 up.

Contact Info:

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