There is no such thing as junk

We are a long way from the days of keeping up with the Joneses. In this era of cutting down on waste and tightening our financial belts; Americans have adapted to recycling and up cycling. We don't have to settle for second hand items that are poorly designed or unusable. There are many artisans and crafts people on Etsy reimaging a vintage piece of furniture and remaking it into a new functional piece. 

On HGTV there is this great show hosted by Lara Spencer; called Flea Market Flip. It is a show where two teams compete against each other for 5,000 and are given three challenges to purchase bargains, remake their vintage flea market finds, restore them, and then resell them for a profit. The winner is the team that makes the most profit from their sales. These flea market flippers have created unique items out of old vintage unusable items that would have filled a landfill somewhere in America. 

 On one show, a couple bought an old wood 1930's non-working radio cabinet for 45.00, they repainted it featuring the art deco design on it. Castors were added to the bottom of the cabinet, and shelves were made to insert in the body of the radio cabinet. The new cabinet was remade into a rolling bar cart. The bar cabinet sold for 225.00 profit, but the design was unique and beautiful.  With a little creativity, many of these items can be reinvented and upcycled into a new furniture piece.

   Upcycling is a new trend that allows vintage items with good bones to be reused and recreated into a new different item. Artisans have created a niche business that not only benefits the up cycler's business model but the environment as well.  The fewer items filling those landfills, the better it is for the global environment.