Happy Tuesday friends! I hope your week is going well! I am still overwhelmed by the excitement from my post in August all about Creative Reuse shops and reviewing these places! I am so excited that y'all are so excited about this travel series! These stores are truly a treasure trove for artists, teachers, creators, homeschool and creative mamas, and anyone who loves to create. You can find a map of all of the shops HERE!
If you would like to know just basic facts about the this shop please just scroll down to the bottom of the post where I will be sharing basic information to help those who want to know more specifics about each of the creative reuse shops and some tips from each store!
.jpg "scrap rva creative reuse shop // richmond, virginia")
Today I am sharing more about SCRAP RVA which is located in Richmond, Virginia. Mom and I stopped there last December on the way down to visit my sister in South Carolina for Christmas.
To be honest this store experience was our least favorite of all of the creative reuse shops we have visited. Ugh. I hate saying that because I don't ever like to give "negative" reviews, but I also always want to be honest about the travel experiences here on the blog. It wasn't awful by any means, but unfortunately the prices and the employees rudeness was something that just didn't set the best "tone" for a happy creative shopping experience. Scrap RVA just had a few "quirks" that the other stores that we have been to didn't have.
I should say that this has was very small compared to the other Scrap reuse stores that we have visited. In saying that though I did feel that every single inch of the space was used. Even in the above picture in the window you can see that they have truly used the space that they have. BUT... they have recently just closed this space and are moving to a new space! Congratulations to SCRAP RVA!
So about the negative quirks.... First, this shop was that this was by far the most expensive creative reuse shop that we have been to (which is saying something since we have visited several in big cities). For example a full roll of crafting ribbon at other places we have been to ranges from $.50 cents to maybe $2.00 and the prices here for full ribbons were starting at the $3.00-$6.00 mark.
Another example was of some old/vintage postcards and pictures. At various shops we have been to the postcards/pictures were ranging from a few cents to approximately $.25cents- these were starting at a $1.00. All of these little things just add up when you are a consumer, so while there were a lot of really nice things the prices were just way more than we have experienced before.
To add to this- there is no negotiating to be found (at least this was our experience) at Scrap RVA. Using the ribbon example- mom and I found a set of "full" ribbon rolls that we honestly loved. I am estimating that there were probably about 15-20 yards of ribbon on what was marked as a 50 yard roll of ribbon on the cover. There were 6 of them and they each were marked $6.00 which would have totaled $30. Plus we had found other ribbons that we loved that only had a couple of yards each but were marked "full ribbons" and started at $3.00 and $4.00. Our total ribbon if we bought all of them was looking at about $50. In other creative reuse shops we have been to when asking if we could take the "lot" of everything we have always been given substantial discounts. In fact another creative reuse shop we visited on this same trip ended up going into the back of the store and bringing out more ribbon and giving us an entire box for free. But when we asked about a discount of any kind the employee grew upset with us for even asking this. We ended up putting everything back and only purchasing one roll of ribbon.
This last point is something that I feel is really important to point out. If we lived in Richmond we would probably go back sometimes but the prices would deter us from visiting often. I would also say that we wouldn't travel back there like we would for some of the other shops simply because of this point and this is important for those who are looking for affordable crafting deals in this economy.
Second, the last quirk was unfortunately the employees rudeness. There were several examples, but I am just going to say that I think the people that worked there were just having a bad day. Maybe it was the holidays? Maybe it was something else? Either way ... it just appeared that everyone was having a rough day that worked there by the way that they treated people.
Also- unfortunately while this wouldn't affect shopping, the next story does affect me showing you pictures. Since 2022 and starting to visit these shops I have asked in each shop I have been in if I could snap a few pictures of the inside because I knew that I wanted to do this travel series in the future.
At every single place I have been people have told me to take as many pictures as I wanted and share more of their personal stories and the shop stories. It has been a really neat experience to hear how people have invested their time into the creative arena. Unfortunately this was not the case here at Scrap RVA.
The employee that I asked at Scrap RVA though was completely against this. In fact it became extremely awkward because she started telling me that if I was interested in starting a similar shop in the area (which I had shared that I was from NY so I was not out to "compete") that I needed to go through "proper channels" and that I couldn't take pictures. It was the oddest thing and when I tried to explain more and show my blog and instagram she insisted that I not take any pictures. Later on when I had my phone out (because my sister was texting me) she came over and accused me of taking pictures which I was not.
Now I have been a travel blogger long enough and told so many quirky stories here on the blog that I know that everyone can have an "off day". Perhaps we just happened to land on that day for the two employees/volunteers that were in there? Perhaps the prices there are something that fit the area? I don't know... it was just not though the best experience and I am sad to say that I couldn't recommend it based on the prices and the employees- which I hate saying.
.jpg "scrap rva creative reuse shop // richmond, virginia")
I did find this picture above (not my property) online to give you a glance at the store... but honestly couldn't find that many pictures- even on their website. (They do have an instagram which I will share below for more information.)
So while this was not the "best" experience, I still do believe strongly in the creative reuse shops. You can always find some treasures if you really look hard and we did walk out with 3 items.
......SCRAP RVA CREATIVE REUSE SHOP INFORMATION......
LOCATION:
Richmond, Virginia
HOURS FOR SHOPPING:
Tuesday- Sunday, 11-6 (closed Mondays)
TYPE OF SHOP:
Total craft experience: numerous items for crafting and creating art of any and all kind
YEAR OPENED:
2008 (some early starts)/ 2016- read history HERE
MISSION:
Non Profit Organization promoting sustainability and community by redistributing reclaimed materials!
KEY DISTINCTIVES:
*none noted*
COST:
Compared to other shops we have tried and visited, the prices were extremely more expensive - even compared to shops around the country that exist in large and expensive cities.
PARKING:
Very difficult- street parking only - but they have just moved so this might be different?
CROWDED?:
It was busy when we were there.
DISABILITY FRIENDY?:
The old shop would have been a bit difficult to navigate with a wheelchair, but I will update if we visit the new shop.
Thank you so much for reading today friends! Please let me know if you have any questions about Creative Reuse Shops or the SCRAP RVA Specifically! I am happy to answer and can't wait to hear about your creative reuse shop adventures! And again, if you would like to read about other Creative Reuse Shops that I have written about on the blog click HERE or click on the links below:
Have a wonderful day friends!
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