All About Creative Junk Therapy

Creative Junk Therapy is a non-profit creative reuse center in Brandon Florida.  Our mission is to promote creativity, environmental awareness, and community through reuse.

 

We collect materials from local businesses and residents and distributing these reclaimed resources to educators, artists, makers, and students through a variety of opportunities. Our center contains a thrift store, an art gallery, class spaces and a “Make N Take” room for inspired creations of recycled materials.

 

Creative Junk Therapy was created as a space for all people to find and enjoy their community through creativity.  We promote creative expression, environmental awareness, and community engagement through education, reuse, and the arts.

 

Our endeavor is to create a community space for people of all ages to learn and create.  A space to relax, share, learn and inspire others while making an impact on the environment.

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What is this place?

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Unique Junk Shop

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We accept many of the materials that are not accepted by traditional thrift stores.  Materials are sold in our retail store and are also featured in a variety of upcycled projects, creative arts programs and workshops. We will honor the donations given to us, knowing that each individual donor may have an emotional attachment to the items they choose to give to Creative Junk Therapy. That allows us to share that significance and offer unique personal items.  By buying used, reuse stores not only help the earth, but also provide a resource for teachers, artist, parents and the community to get the items they need at a lower price, freeing up their money for other uses.

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Creative Space

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Creative Junk Therapy has areas that you can come relax and get your craft on.  We have spaces available for workshops, classes, events and meetups, or parties along with a plethora of salvaged materials and scraps so nothing goes to waste.  Share ideas with other creatives and get inspired to make your own amazing creation. 

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Reuse Resource

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Our motto is “Imperfection is our Specialty!" Creative Junk Therapy challenges you to find the need for all the pieces. For example, a broken chair can be taken apart and the good legs used to construct a coffee table.  Single crayons, rubber bands (often from produce), or paper clips are accepted and sorted in jars with like items.  The single item alone seems useless, but once sorted it becomes a valuable set of crayons or a gallon jug of rubber bands.  How are we different from a thrift store?  Here are some items you might expect to see at the reuse center that aren’t seen in traditional second hand shops:  office supplies (binders, folders, paperclips, rubber bands, staples), traditional arts and craft supplies (fabric, paint, pens, paper), party supplies (decorations, gift wrapping, boxes, ribbon) unconventional art supplies (scrap metal, scrap plastic, scrap wood pieces), e-waste/wire (chargers, cables, electrical wire, speaker wire, phone wire).  The organization also carries building supplies such as wood, hardware, flooring, tile and lighting fixtures.  Reconsider what is waste.

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Art Showcase

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We love our creatives!  Many of the pieces and projects are on display and for sale were made by or for CJT. The art of creating is being devalued in our society.  People are going to what is fast and disposable rather than valuing a hand-made piece.    Please explore the various artwork and creations.

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Our Vision

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We endeavor to grow and create a space for large scale public art displays made from total reuse materials.  To showcase and encourage what can be done with salvaged materials in parks, malls and community spaces.  Provide opportunities for all creatives to have a chance to show their talent.  Eventually by having a full creative full mall for makers to make, sell and support their craft.  We want to host classes for tool operation, basic repair and improvements, soldering, welding, ceramics, woodworking, metal smithing, glass blowing etc.  We will host and promote public large scale upcycle events to create and challenge all people to be creative and embrace the rethink, reimagine and reuse concept.