Repurposing
Something old into something new
Do you have “stuff” that you no longer use but can’t get rid of it because of its sentimental value or you think you might use it some day or perhaps you just can’t part with it.
To find out more about repurposing, the Minot Daily News asked the operating partners of the Market on 4th located along Fourth Avenue Northwest and just east of the Dairy Queen.
Becky Beechie, Rachael Walz, Kelsey Beechie and Sara Seykora, all of Minot, are the Market on 4th’s operating partners. They opened for business in December 2015.
Ten local artisans/consignors market their merchandise, including repurposed items, in the Market on 4th store.
Repurposing furniture and other items, perhaps even making them better than their original state, is a growing trend.
What is repurposing? Market on 4th’s partners said it’s taking something old and giving it new life or a new purpose.
Or, it might be creating something that the main purpose was for one specific use but it has been recreated into something else. An example is a bed frame message center hanging on a wall in the Market on 4th. The message center is made from a baby crib frame, has metal loaf pans to hold items and a slotted hanging container for letters and other items.
Repainting furniture is a big part of the business, said Kelsey Beechie, a graphics designer.
For those interested in repurposing, following are some suggestions from the Market on 4th’s operating partners:
– Visit thrift stores often because the “good stuff” goes fast.
– Look for a good-quality piece and watch for mold, mildew and stains.
– Reinvision it; step back and think of other purposes for it. For example, if it’s a dresser or coffee table, think of how else you can use it. Even old picture frames can be repurposed into chalkboards, or add chicken wire to the frame to attached photos.
– Have a tool box.
– Purchase quality paint for your project or projects.
If anyone has questions or needs ideas for their project, they can stop in at the Market on 4th, the partners said.
Repurposing is reaching all ages.
For example, Seykora said many of their customers who have 1980s and 1990s furniture are coming to the Market on 4th, saying they want to paint a particular item. “It’s definitely hitting all the generations,” she said.
Walz said they tell people if they have a piece of furniture sitting in their house or garage that repurposing is a way to put it back into use. “If it’s sitting in your garage not getting used, you may as well paint it and get it used, and have it back in your house,” she said.
Market on 4th is located in the former Gladys’ Place restaurant building along Fourth Avenue Northwest. The building was in the Souris River flood and now among other buildings in that area being brought back to life.
Kelsey Beechie said she and her mother, Becky Beechie, would stop in stores like Market on 4th in Bismarck, Grand Forks and Fargo but Minot didn’t have such a store. She said her mother wanted to open such a store in Minot. With ideas from all four of the partners, the store developed and opened.
Market on 4th store is open the second and fourth weekend of each month. Workshops on various topics, including repurposing, are scheduled at the store.
For more about Market on 4th, visit its Facebook page.
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