Spare Change

The Upcycle Parts Shop is a place of possibilities. From wine corks filling a vintage chest to burlap coffee sacks lining a paint-splattered shelf, it's a home for outcast thingamabobs and leftovers saved from local business' waste streams. Opened beside the Slovenian National Home in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood in July, the creative reuse center is a low-cost art supply shop that offers bimonthly workshops and monthly open studios in its bring-your-own-booze crafting nook. Beyond its brick-and-mortar, the spot is the keystone of the Upcycle St. Clair movement, which is creating a reuse economy through local partnerships with an employment program, school and a business incubator. "We're trying to say, 'Hey let's be creative.' You don't need to go buy new materials," says artistic director Nicole McGee. "We can show you how to use what you have access to" 6419 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland, 216-361-9933, upcyclepartsshop.org