New West residents have a chance to support community and sustainability through reuse at a new market taking place this weekend.
Sari Stenerson is organizing this Saturday’s REUZ market, which is a swap meet with a reuse focus. The sale will feature a variety of vintage items, clothing and household goods, as well as upcycled items including coffee thermos/water bottle slings and cutlery cases made from upcycled clothing and fabric.
“There are so many items that people are throwing away,” said Stenerson, a New West resident. “There are people who need a venue to buy things. It’s just to make less waste. That’s how my idea came about.”
REUZ is on Saturday, April 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at École Glenbrooke Middle School, 701 Park Cres. Admission is $2 (free for kids 12 and under.)
A bottle drive being held at the entrance to the market is raising funds for the Down Syndrome Research Foundation.
“All the bottle collection money that they raise goes towards the Down Syndrome Research Foundation,” Stenerson said. “When you bring your bottles, you get a free admission ticket.”
The market will feature more than 20 tables of thrifted and upcycled items, including two social enterprise vendors that hire people with barriers to make upcycled products.
“One of them is called the Common Thread. They are in Vancouver. They make products from commercial castoffs like banners in the city and extra fabric. They help employ people who have language or work barriers,” Stenerson said. “There is also another vendor that is a social enterprise in the Philippines – they make jewelry out of magazines, leather and stuff like that.”
One More Time, a New West-based charity that provides food and emergency kits to homeless people in the Lower Mainland, will be raising funds for its programs by selling items at one of the tables.
