"You'll never guess" a quiet revolution
Much is written about the need to recycle and one could be forgiven for thinking that maybe the message is not getting through. But things are changing. There is the quiet revolution going on where ingenious people are re-using, repairing and recycling ‘old stuff’.
Running a vintage shop is great fun and I love it when a customer comes to the till and says “you’ll never guess what I’m going to use this for”. We have been told about a folding cot stand repurposed as a print browser, tweed offcuts from a woollen mill pieced together to make waistcoats and capes, old plated cutlery turned into candle holders and a full size female mannequin that was to be sawn in half and reassembled with a piece of plate glass inserted at waist height to make an unusual table. The gentleman who bought her had to travel back to Leeds and said he would be a bit embarrassed to be walking the streets with her under his arm so we dressed her in a bin bag. Another gentleman bought a small brass trivet which he said was perfect to finish off the air intake filter on the vintage motorcycle he was restoring. He already had one and been looking for a matching one for weeks.
One of my favourite items was a 1980s moulded clothes hanger that was repurposed into a scary ship’s figurehead as the centrepiece of a pirate festival, an event raising money for a local cancer charity.
At auction we purchased a box full of round newel post knobs which was eagerly welcomed by a lady who makes marionettes. They were just the right size to use as heads apparently.
Although some people feel that ‘brown’ furniture has had its day, it is surprising how much can be reused. A damaged Edwardian dressing table with a drawer missing was bought for £10. Two small sets drawers were removed and tidied up to be used as trinket chests, the stained top surface was sold to be refurbished and used as a shelf, the casters were removed from the legs which were to be used as table legs in a new project, the casters, handles and mirror fittings were added to our popular collection of vintage hardware. The only thing that hasn’t yet found a home is the remaining drawer. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and furniture which may have ended in a skip has been turned into a treasure trove of useful items.
With a bit of imagination those unwanted things from clearing out Granny’s attic are being turned into a treasure trove of useful items.
Small beginnings but hopefully the movement will grow and the ingenuity and enthusiasm of the repurposers will spread until it becomes the accepted thing to do and the ‘throwaway’ high street shops will be replaced with local businesses selling recycled items.
Now just need to think of a use for that mountain of discarded but perfectly good clothes.