Find out how to get involved with The Upcycle Exchange:
Open Enrollment Alert!
You next chance to apply to become a member will be May 1st – 14th, 2010!
Artists and Crafters
If you like to make things out of discard-ables, general art and craft supplies, thrift/garage sale finds, or anything else that doesn’t belong in a landfill, then we’d love to have you participate in the program. We host four 2-week open enrollment periods through our website every year. During this time, artists and crafters may apply to become members, and existing members will have the opportunity to edit their Wish-Lists and incentives.
Upcoming Enrollment Dates:
December 1st-18th, 2009 (Inaugural for Winter 2009 season: December-February)
February 1st – 14th, 2010 (Spring 2010: March – May)
May 1st – 14th, 2010 (Summer 2010: June – August)
August 1st – 14th, 20120 (Fall 2010: September – November)Fees:
$15 per season and $5 admission to monthly member-only pick-up dates at Finder’s HiveWhat you get:
- We collect the specific supplies and materials that you are looking for through our widely publicized seasonal Wish-Lists. Almost anything goes!
- Donors are able to take anything on our list to participating drop-off locations and special events. In return, they receive a Coupon Passport for local art and handmade goods!
- We sort and distribute all donations at Finder’s Hive. Unique items that only you are asking for will be held for you in a labeled bag/box. Common items that many artists ask for will be categorized, and are exclusively available for members to choose from during scheduled pick-up days.
- You offer a discount on merchandise that you make and sell to anyone that donates. This gives consumers an incentive, not only to upcycle, but also shop local and handmade…specifically from you and your fellow upcycle artists!
- During every enrollment period, as a member, you’ll have access to a form where you can change your Wish-List items and/or donor incentive, and pay your member fee for the upcoming season.
- We don’t want you to feel pressure to take stuff you don’t need. If you are enrolled for the season, but decide to skip a month of donations, no prob, any unclaimed items just become stock at Finder’s Hive.
- We promote The Upcycle Exchange and our eco-friendly artists all over the place! For the duration membership, your brand will be featured on our website and in promotional materials.
Donations
Drop-off locations will be announced in March 2010. E-mail us at UpXChange@gmail.com if you have a large donation of stuff you need to get rid of NOW!
We want your junk! You can stay informed about the project by subscribing to our RSS feed, following us on Twitter, or become our fan on Facebook. There’s also an option to subscribe to a weekly digest of any updates we post here on the right side of this page. We promise not to bombard you with fluff, but will let you know when we have upcoming collection events or publish new wish-lists. You’ll get discounts and goodies galore when you collect items on our wish-lists and drop them off at specified locations.
Events
The Upcycle Exchange was concieved as a “module” that could be added on to craft shows where the vendors sell upcycled merchandise. That has worked great, but we’re happy to announce our new central location: Finder’s Hive, a co-op junk shop on Cherokee St.! Events are still a great place to collect donations and promote the program…we’ll definitely will continue to have a presence at them! If you might be interested in hosting us at your St. Louis area event, we would love to work with you. We’ll promote your show through our website and social networks, provide custom promo graphics for promoting the Upcycle collection, and will even host an upcycled craft project at your show for patrons can make-and-take! Just e-mail upxchange@gmail.com for more information.
Bloggers
Here are some graphics you can use in blog posts and sidebar links, just right click to download them. Thanks for helping to promote us, and feel free to e-mail or tweet any questions!
