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Back to the Future
When I saw these old, discarded chairs I slowed my bike and pulled over to take a closer look. I didn’t have much time because I was in transit, but I lingered long enough to imagine these chairs in their heyday. I envisioned a room with a happy hum of voices, people dressed up, laughter. Tables full of crudités and a big bowl of sherbet punch or a boozy eggnog. I pictured balloons and crepe paper leading to a banner signifying life milestones: happy birthday; welcome home; happy retirement. A record plays in the background. Life dances on… A perfect heirloom, chairs can be a token from one generation to…
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Bearing Witness: Extinction
If I hadn’t asked a roomful of students and young professionals to raise their hands if they knew what reupholstery was, and if I had not bore witness to no hands going up, I might not have believed it. I was at a zero waste conference, in SF, in 2018. No awareness? None? A skilled craft that creates local resilience and reduces waste has already gone extinct in some young minds. Who will be the future customers, employees, and business owners of reupholstery services? Is this cause for worry? Yes, and during a climate emergency and with untenable economic inequality, the answer is a resounding yes. Flush with huge investments…
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Prime Days Did Not Spark Joy
Over 175 million items were sold and shipped in one day or less during Amazon Prime Days—its two day birthday party which ended yesterday—boasted Amazon’s press release. What speed! What scale! Now, where do we squeeze in these millions of new things? In our clogged closets? The shelves are already bursting, or maybe not— maybe Marie Kondo was just preparing us for Prime Days? Way back in January it was reported that thrift stores nationwide were seeing huge increases in donations due to the popularity of Marie Kondo’s show, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” One donation center in Washington DC saw a 367% increase over the same week the…
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Regenerative Niches Unite
Farmers are being recognized as climate change warriors. When they adopt regenerative practices, they can suck carbon out of the air, improve soil health, and create diverse ecosystems. Its radically beneficial on many levels and I love it. But I don’t live in a rural environment, my neighborhood is covered in pavement. Surely cities have players who are regenerative practitioners, too. Right? All ecosystems need to be nourished in some way. What about repair/reuse practitioners, like reupholsterers? Don’t they fill a regenerative niche? They strengthen the social fabric, diversify the economy, and reduce natural resource consumption by extending the life of goods. Plus, they keep money flowing locally and are…
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If You Had One Word to Describe What You See, What Would It Be?
This chair is a beautiful opportunity. How can we leverage it to better our community?
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Call it What it Is
Looks like “Fast Furniture” to me. Fast Fashion is a force that has taken the fashion supply chain and planet by storm. Does anyone see the resemblance? Low quality, high turnover goods and materials, never meant to last long or be held on to, made for pervertedly low costs in unknown working conditions with horrible environmental impacts? I think it’s time to call it what it is.
