An educator at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Emily Downes, curates items from donations for Magic Hands Creative Reuse, a community-focused art supplies thrift store she opened on Aug. 25, pricing creative resources for less than $1.
On the East Side of Milwaukee, the art reuse shop is open every Tuesday from 2:00 – 7:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at 2478 N. Murray Ave.
The purpose of the store is to collect and redistribute art supplies such as fabric, yarn, paper, beads, craft supplies and other creative resources that may otherwise go unused.
The store shares the same space with Studio B & Co., a family-owned community art studio and third space with multiple rooms. Magic Hands Creative Reuse occupies the first half of the building as you walk in.
The collaboration between the two spaces is mutually beneficial, as the materials Downes has can be used for Studio B & Co. purposes. The studio is owned by Amanda Bennaton.
The mission of the studio is to welcome people from all backgrounds, ages and abilities to express themselves through affordable art. Bennaton hopes that the space “becomes a second home where neighbors build friendships and take pride in their creative space.”
Downes, a lecturer in the Film, Video, Animation and New Genres Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has been an educator and an art workshop leader in the community for over a decade.
Teachers, students and artists would contact her about where to find affordable supplies, and it inspired her to begin the project. She would also have leftover materials from workshops, and keeping those resources in circulation was the goal.
Downes went to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for undergraduate school and graduate school. She recounted how there used to be a Utrecht Art Supply shop at 2219 N. Farwell Ave.
The family-owned retail business Blick Art Materials bought the Utrecht location in 2013. Then, as a Blick Art Supplies store, the location closed on Jan. 19, 2019, due to an expiring lease, according to a Blick employee who informed the digital magazine OnMilwaukee in 2018.
“There has been a void of accessible materials on the East Side, so it was my desire to bring that back into the community,” said Emily Downes.
Curating art supplies
Everything that comes into Magic Hands Creative Reuse goes through a curation process, as the supplies need cleaning and organizing.
Embroidery floss needs untangling and sorting by color, fabric needs rolling and measuring and mixed buttons need categorization.
“There is a curation process to it, where we are handpicking treasures for people to reuse,” said Downes. “We aim to be the service that is taking what some might consider trash and making resources accessible to people who will use it.”
Every price of newer material is at least 30% to 50% off. Supplies with visible use are priced at 50% or higher depending on the condition.
Students also get a discount for showing their school identification.
Any material with any slight imperfections gets an additional discount with a masking tape label.
When donations of art supplies come in, while most of it is secondhand, people also give away a lot of brand-new materials.
“People do not want to donate to Goodwill, and that is why they hold on to things,” added Downes. “This is finally a place where they know their materials are going to get good use out of them.”
Getting the word out there
The strategy to let the local community know about Magic Hands Creative Reuse began with Downes putting flyers out around the East Side. She also made zines that contained information about what creative reuse is.
During her first time vending at a market at Outpost Natural Foods at 100 E. Capitol Dr., Downes says at that a lot of people came through not knowing what creative reuse was. She was able to make local connections introducing people to the idea and her vision for it.
“I would love for students to know that this is here,” said Downes. “This store is a short walk away for students who have classes at Kenilworth Square.”
The Instagram page for Magic Hands Creative Reuse is also an informational engine for the shop that Downes updates frequently.
On opening day of the shop on Aug. 25, the public was invited to explore the inventory of the store, sign a community poster and make paper puppets. Downes additionally asked customers where they heard of the reuse shop, and most people had through social media.
The store is not wheelchair accessible. Team members are “mindful of the need to improve access,” according to a social media post.