Whew, Hello Spring Cleaning Season!

Spring has Sprung! It's that time of year where you start to think about changing up your skis for running shoes, your snowboards for downhill bikes, your jackets for bikinis and board shorts... well, maybe nobody's jumping in the lake just yet, but there's more than a hint of warmth in the air, and goggle tans are plentiful...

Spring means different things to all of us. Here at Re-Use-It Centre it means Hard Work! Between the seasonal workers starting to leave town, and realizing their suitcases are already more than full, and our locals who get struck by that "everything must go" spring cleaning feeling, we end up with piles of treasures to sort and sift through... all kinds.

At times the pile is overwhelming; no matter how fast you work, the pile gets bigger. The sensation of moving backwards is hard to ignore! Our super staff have managed to develop a wonderfully Zen attitude of "all good things in time". And truly we do rely upon and expect the silly season; Whistler just wouldn't be Whistler without it.

What does this mean for you, our community of shoppers and donators? If you're making a donation, remember we're open 11am to 6pm and be sure to donate in our opening hours so we can make the most of your donated items. You can bring them in bags or boxes, and the only things we'll pass on are helmets and kids safety equipment, for safety reasons.

If you're a shopper, well... get into it! This is the best time of year to score awesome thrifted items. We still hold our weekly clothes sales, and follow our 50% off after 3 weeks deal... The quality of donated items at this time of year is unreal, and we're starting to put out summer clothing and sports equipment, so make sure you get yourself down to rifle through the treasure.

Here is the taste of the treasure we're seeing this week:

 The classics surface regularly at The Re-Use-It Centre. Give yourself a taste of culture on those rainy spring days!

Decorate your home with a piece of art.

Keep warm with a stylish Burton women's hoodie on the days when summer feels a little far away...

 Keep the kids happy with many many titles to choose from at only $1 each!

Invest in a paddling pool for the hot summers

And what goes better with a paddling pool than a summery bikini?












Dress the part for summer in one of our surf brand tshirts...

Or, if it's not feeling like summer at all to you, perhaps you're looking for a pair of spring skis to enjoy the plentiful snow base we're still seeing on the hill?


Come by to divest yourself of some material possesions, then shop to fill the space your spring cleaning has left in your life!

We'll see you soon!


Helen, Manager at The WCSS Re-Use-It Centre

Upcycling: Books

There are always countless books coming into The WCSS Re-Use-It Centre. A lot of these books are holiday and travel reading, with plenty of best-sellers and modern classics pumping through the store at a steady rate. For $2 a book you can't really go wrong: read it, pass it onto a friend, take it around the world with you to read on trains and planes...

We do also find ourselves with large pile of books that are slightly less desirable, for various reasons: water damage, torn pages, outdated knowledge, or super-specific information that Whistler folk have often escaped past lives in the outside world to avoid.

I shudder at the very thought of trashing books. Having grown up reading and having majored in English Lit at university, books are friends and teachers to me. So I'd rather avoid sending them to the compactor where and when possible.

I've found some amazing ideas for upcycling those books that are no longer reading material, for whatever reason.

Some artistic upcycling ideas include:

This tree:

This dress and more at this blog:

Or more practical ideas, like book shelves made of books! Find the how-to here.

Try a plant potted into a classic novel (plus more upcycling ideas for plant holders here).

Or, go all out and use books as bricks! This is the counter of my favorite bookstore in Melbourne, Australia.

Ladies and gentlemen, the world is your oyster! Come down to The Re-Use-It Centre and rescue a few books to create something amazing and unique. Perfect projects for those rainy Spring days...

Enjoy.


Helen, Manager of The WCSS Re-Use-It Centre