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Chicago's thrift store that turns garbage into art

Tyler R.
January 28, 2026Stories By Us

Chicago Creative Reuse Exchange is a nonprofit thrift store with a purpose. They collect and sell things (very disparate and unpredictable things) that would otherwise be garbage to be reused, mostly for artistic projects. They also have a popup workshop called "Imagination Station" where people teach participants how to make specific things (i.e. bags, jewelry, kaleidoscopes) out of what some might consider old junk.

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