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East Bay Surplus Depot Helps Artists And Teachers

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May 26, 2009 2:49 pm US/Pacific

East Bay Surplus Depot Helps Artists And Teachers

Ride out the Recession with Surplus Goods

Reporting
Sue Kwon
E-mail
OAKLAND (CBS 5) ― From fabric bolts to plastic baskets, it's stuff that some might think is junk. But in this economy the goods at the East Bay Depot are treasure that comes cheap.

Peter Glover is a self-proclaimed junk pirate but he finds the riches and gives them to the needy.

"The East Bay Depot is a spot for teachers and artists to gather all types of material. That would be paints, paper supplies, pencils and crayons and staplers. Our mission is basically to both keep things from going into a landfill and then providing those same materials, which have a lot of life left in them, to the public at a discounted costs," said Glover.

He said items are priced at 1/10th to up to half the original cost. For example fabric is $2 a yard instead of $5. Sewing patterns are $.25. And that makes materials and inspiration very affordable for dollmaker Cordelia DeVere .

"With my Gizzy Girlz, I try to make them absolutely recycled. I use fabrics that I've found from thrift stores," said DeVere. "I only need small pieces, so that's what is fabulous about it. And the yarn is a collective of yarn I find all over on the floor, found buttons, little scrap metal pieces, the joy is in the hunt for me. It's sort of a win win situation. On the one hand it helps people afford orginal art work and at the same time we are recycling. I think there's a sense of excess in this world. People don't think about what the aftermath of what they use is. The idea that you can take something and breathe new life into something that someone else threw away resonates with me somehow."

Teachers get a special discount, but everyone is welcome. The East Bay Depot and other  Bay Area reuse centers can't take all types of donations. But they welcome items posted on their wishlists.

 

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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