Well, much has happened at Untrash since my last post but really, much has been going on behind the scenes for a lot longer than that, and it’s time to start “moving that bus,” to borrow a phrase from the old TV show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and let you in on some exciting happenings, so you’ll see why I put blog posting aside temporarily.

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When the Untrash blog launched in 2021, it was a project I’d wanted to do for a long time, so I was happy to make it finally happen. But along with that, I also dreamed of having a creative reuse center called Untrash Creative Reuse, much like the creative reuse centers I’ve written about in past posts. My town does not have one, nor do any of the surrounding towns– there are none within a 40 mile drive. Not even in Big D, Dallas, Texas. And so I began looking into what it would take to start one.

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At first, it involved very tiny baby steps– searching online and reading about other creative reuse centers. But then in late spring of this year I decided to take a bigger baby step– I requested a free business mentor through SCORE, a free program sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, that provides mentors, webinars, conferences and all sorts of other information to help anyone who is interested in starting a business or a nonprofit. (If any of you have battled negative self-talk before, you know how hard making a step like this can be– the negative voices are relentless: “What if they think this is stupid?” “Who am I to think that I can do this?” “What if this fails?” and on and on. And because of all this negative self-talk, I had told hardly ANYONE about my dream, because I didn’t want to take the chance of hearing any more negative stuff– so I had received little outside encouragement.) I am so glad I requested a mentor, because I received not just one but two, who worked together as SCORE volunteers, and so I received positive, helpful feedback from two seasoned mentors and business professionals who thought my ideas were not only good, but very good.

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We met at a public library conference room about once or twice a month through the spring and summer, developing a business plan of action and tackling issues such as nonprofit vs. for-profit, costs, business models, etc. They would give me homework and we would meet again when I was ready with answers. Sometimes I would attend meetups of a larger group of mentees and mentors and it was great to talk to people going through the same steps as I was. In addition, I drove 80 miles roundtrip at least once a month on Sunday afternoons to volunteer at The Welman Project, a creative reuse center in Fort Worth, and also took webinars on “how to start a creative reuse center” from Scrap Creative Reuse (and did a consultation with them as well).

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And so bit by bit, as summer turned to fall and now almost winter, my dream has been inching closer to reality, with me working on it when I can but never worrying if I get delayed, because I know the movement is still forward, and worry only buys into crippling negativity. The final to-do list is getting checked off. Such as, renting a post office box. Working alongside my husband to get my logo into a shareable format. Spending countless hours putting together a website, all on my own. Filing the business with the State of Texas. Registering the business with the county. Setting up a new email address. Ordering business cards (which I can’t wait to show off!!). Collecting storage jars, bins and boxes.

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Once all that business set-up stuff is done, Untrash Creative Reuse will begin actively soliciting donations of pre-loved creative materials, then hopefully setting up shop at a local indoor market/mercantile, and possibly being at a few select outdoor markets starting in the spring. Of course, an even bigger dream is to have a “brick and mortar” location someday (pretty much all creative reuse business owners dream of that), but I’ll also be happy with just a space at a marketplace, if people visit it and enjoy it. (An indoor marketplace space is a more low-key way to have a shop/center; it does not have to be manned, as check-out is done at a central location and the various vendors often take turns manning the central check-out.)

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I invite you to be one of the first to check out the new website, which is published and waiting for visitors at www.untrashcreativereuse.com, and take a look at the types of materials we’ll be accepting. Drop me a line if you’d like to donate (because even if you don’t live in the DFW area, you can mail in donations– there’s a “contact” form at the website)! Know that this blog will remain a space focused on reuse topics; for business updates (as well as photos that tie into blog posts), follow @untrashcreativereuse on social media. I hope to be back to posting reuse info at the blog real soon! As always, thanks for reading!!