Plastics and papers that might seem like trash to some, can get the creativity flowing in a young child. Andrea Escos is a therapist who works with children overcoming sensory issues. She shops regularly at the Repurpose and More Store.
“We run a sensory motor clinic so we are looking for manipulatives that have different textures, different colors. etc…..”The shop has been around for almost 20 years and in that time they’ve seen a number of creative new uses for items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Leone says, “it was about a third of this size when we started and has grown to about 2,000 square feet.”Even though the Child Care Council originally opened the store for daycares and schools, they’ve found that many adults, especially artists, also shop there.
“You don’t even have to be in a craft situation, you can come in here and buy something for your home,” says Joan Frazier, a volunteer at the council.Most of their products come from Tool and Die Companies and printers.
Escos says, “the most interesting thing we bought is some glow in the dark paper, so we have a whole obstacle course that we use with glow in the dark objects and things that we’ve stuck to them.”“It’s really about scrap materials, keeping them out of the landfills, a win-win that at least they’ll get used one more time before they join the landfill environment,” says Leone.
The proceeds stay local and help run the store. It is located at 595 Blossom Road in Rochester.
For more information, visit childcarecouncil.com
