"The Scrap Exchange" in Durham, NC

Do you live in or around Durham, NC? If so, have you heard of The Scrap Exchange? I visited it for the first time on Black Friday, and it immediately became one of my most favorite places on the planet. You can buy anything and everything that you need to create anything and everything. Here is some more info, directly from their website:
The Scrap Exchange is a nonprofit creative reuse center in Durham, North Carolina whose mission is to promote creativity, environmental awareness, and community through reuse. Since 1991, we have been collecting materials from local businesses and residents and distributing these reclaimed materials through our retail store, community events, parties and workshops.

When we visited, they were having a fundraising event called "Smash-Fest." They were selling broken pieces of ceramic stuff for $1 a piece. After we made our purchases, we proceeded outside to the lovely bonfires and live music. They had a huge wall set up where they showed a movie while people smashed their ceramic pieces against the wall. (It was a very therapeutic way to rid ourselves of the frustrations of Black Friday shopping madness.)

After the event was over, their plan was to gather all of the broken pieces and create a mosaic, which they would then sell. Such a great idea for a fundraiser, right?

I was happy to have scored exactly what I went there to find. I have a client who prefers that I make large-sized cards for him every year for Christmas. It is always difficult to find the right size envelopes that will fit the card and at the same time look nice. Thanks to The Scrap Exchange, I was able to find a ton (well actually three pounds) of envelopes! Best part? The envelopes were only $1 per pound. Woo hoo!!! I also scored sticky-back Velcro and some cute metal embellishments that I'm sure I will find a use for.

It is a great place for college students (it is located near Duke University) because they have vintage posters and other funky stuff at rock-bottom prices. A student can do some fabulous dorm-room decorating with the stuff they sell. From fabrics, to fasteners, to test tubes, to vintage spindles, to old National Geographic magazines, to boxes, to ... whatever your heart desires. Call it a Goodwill store for the crafty person, at prices that are so low they almost give away the stuff.

More on what I put inside the envelopes coming tomorrow.

Check out The Scrap Exchange's website HERE. They have an events calendar and other cool info.

(This is my personal review of The Scrap Exchange. The thoughts are my own, and I was not paid in any way to write this review.)