Broken treasure, repurposed

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This article was published 26/04/2019 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every day is Earth Day at the Kildonan Mennonite Thrift Shop.

“We’re not just a thrift store that sells product, we also focus on environmental change,” said chief operating officer Robin Searle.

The Kildonan Mennonite Thrift Shop, located at 445 Chalmers Ave., is run by a few paid staff positions and scores of dedicated volunteers. A number of volunteers, like Helen Streilein, have found an opportunity to channel their creativity in repurposing products that come into the shop damaged, or are otherwise unsalable.

“I don’t like to see all this stuff go into the landfill,” said Streilein, who has been volunteering with MCC in some capacity or other since the 1980s. “I’ve always been like this, always been a vintage shopper and always thinking of how to repurpose.”

Streilein makes a number of products which sell well for KMTS, such as repurposed jewelry.

“One thing I’ve latched onto is making jewelry out of silver spoons, making earrings and necklaces,” she said. “My husband helps me a lot with this, he cuts them for me.”

“Helen also takes watch parts and turns them into beautiful necklaces,” Searle added. “She’ll take various pieces of jewelry and take them and turns them into new pieces of jewelry. This is all stuff that we wouldn’t be able to sell otherwise, because it’s broken.”

Her popular “boutique” firestarter candles sell in packages of five for $1.50. By her own estimate, Streilein figures she’s made well over 1,000 in the past two years.

“My mother’s home throws out a lot of paper napkins, so I said that if they were slightly used, I’d take them,” Streilein explained. “I roll them in wax, cut them in half. I use crayons, which we get a lot of, because there’s always broken crayons that nobody uses.”

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Lately, Streilein has fashioned notebook covers from damaged vinyl records, filling the books with donated paper and binding them with metal from old scribblers.

“I saw (them) selling at the Forks, and I thought I could put my own twist on it,” she said of her latest creations. “It feels so good to be able to release this creativity.”

“Our goal is to sell products, and honour the treasures we get in,” Searle added. “To take some of those ‘broken’ things and turn them back into something, we’re keeping that out of the landfill.”

Searle said she is constantly surprised by the creativity that volunteers bring to the table.

“There are volunteers doing those sorts of things at home, still being active and productive and make a difference,” she said. “There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. It’s a constant, evolving thing.”

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112

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