Keep Indian River Beautiful hosted a reception Saturday afternoon to thank volunteers for their help in beautifying Upcycle It!, the organization’s storefront at the Indian River Mall, which now sports a lively palette of painted walls and glitzy displays to show off the many recycled and repurposed offerings.
As Indian River County Commissioner Joe Flescher manned the ceremonial scissors, KIRB board President Ashima Wild held the ribbon to mark the re-opening of the renovated shop. Before doing so, she thanked the volunteers, whom she called the heartbeat of the organization, along with KIRB Executive Director Daisy Packer and other supporters.
“We would not be able to complete our mission to improve the community without all of you,” said Wild. “Today we unveil our new Upcycle It! store. Our goal is to educate and inspire the community to think outside the box to reduce waste items, and increase their value by upcycling them.”
Flescher, a KIRB board member and avid recycler, urged everyone to work together to reach the state-mandated goal of reducing waste by 75 percent by 2020.
“I can actually fit my whole week’s garbage in one small grocery bag after I put everything else into recycling,” said Flescher, adding that the extra work was worth the effort to help the next generation. He invited 10-year old Addison Brady to help him cut the ribbon, since the purpose of the store was to help her have a better future.
Guests enjoyed a selection of hors d’oeuvres and refreshments as they browsed the creative merchandise, which consisted of a combination of donated and commissioned items. All the wares had been upcycled from recycled items, turning normally discarded objects into wearable art, home décor and conversation pieces, such as a door repurposed into a multiple plant hanger, and jars decorated with colorful soda caps.
“I love the door,” said Stephanie Vos, Indian River County recycling coordinator, of the newly redesigned door. “I think that was an amazing way to reuse that and just put it in a room somewhere.”
Anna Valencia, an Indian River Chamber of Commerce ambassador, said some of the pieces were inspiring her to design her own fashionista creations.
“It is especially for the teachers that this store is so great,” she said. “You will see them come to get items for the kids to do crafts that they can use, but don’t have already.”
Packer said that in addition to giving the public ideas about ways to repurpose their own recyclables, and offering teachers a place to pick up free craft items, future plans include upcycling classes at the storefront.
“I like to make stuff that comes to my mind,” said Addison, who admitted to being a little nervous when helping cut the ribbon. She plans to attend some of the classes, adding, “I already do a bunch of stuff at home and this store gives me a lot more ideas.”
The hope is that through stores such as Upcycle It!, the next generation will learn to be a lot less disposable and lot more creative, upcycling their futures in the process.