Traverse City Record-Eagle

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  • Scrap TC volunteer Kristin Anton stands inside the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, whose mission is to provide educational programs and affordable materials to the community for creative purposes and sustainable behavior. Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump

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January 25, 2013

Craft fair features creativity, sustainability

Scrap TC event is Saturday, Feb. 2

BY CAROL SOUTH Special to the Record-Eagle

TRAVERSE CITY — "This ain't your grandma's craft fair."

With that compelling tag line on their posters, Scrap TC is spreading the word about a show featuring 15 local artists on Saturday, Feb. 2, at the shop at 821 Garfield.

Fun and eclectic offerings will range from knit boot cuffs and glass beads to fused glass pendants, feather earrings and hand-dyed yarn. The goal is to showcase creative people in a creative space.

"We want to provide an opportunity to support creativity in our community," said Kristin Anton, volunteer coordinator for Scrap TC. "It's a validation of your work when people buy it."

The Craft Bazaar will also bring people into Scrap TC's space, which features an array of donated items for sale. Large and small, unusual and mundane, Scrap TC offers everything from fabric, wire, plastic bottle caps and a variety of paper goods to beads, bottles, cardboard tubes and corks.

The store is open on Saturdays from noon until 4 p.m. and welcomes shoppers and donations.

"It can be overwhelming, there's so much stuff," Anton said. "But we have a lot of regulars that come in and lately our volunteers said that everyone who came in was a new face."

All items in Scrap TC are meticulously sorted, organized and displayed to captivate wandering artists or visiting crafters. The goal is to inspire creativity and spark ingenuity.

The nonprofit, volunteer-run Scrap TC fosters creative use of its offerings through weekly craft nights on Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m. with a suggested $5 donation. Instead of specific instruction, volunteers and attendees work together creatively on projects each week. Upcoming themes includes Valentine's Day cards Jan. 29 and vases Feb. 5.

Thinking out of the can — the garbage can — Scrap TC founders are thrilled that they have diverted 4,500 pounds of scrap from the landfill in 18 months. They are applying for grants to help fund additional hours of operation.

SCRAP TC is being guided and nurtured by the popular veteran organization, SCRAP, in Portland, Ore. With that 10-year-old non-profit as a mentor, the local adaptation is based on a tested and successful concept.

"It's still evolving, but people are getting it," Anton noted.

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