Asheville’s most resourceful makers show off their chops
What can you do with a pile of secondhand building supplies? For the past 14 years, the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore ReUse Contest has given the community a chance to answer that question.
Each fall, DIYers and dreamers transform donated materials into imaginative new creations — and the results are always surprising. Past projects have included lamps crafted out of glass insulators, a chicken coop built from a hutch, and even a camping trailer pieced together from recycled parts and an old truck bed topper.
“It began as a fun way to showcase possibilities for recycling the sort of used building supplies we sell at the ReStore and naturally grew into an annual event thanks to the sheer amount of resourceful, reuse-conscious creatives we have shopping here,” says Communications Coordinator Danny Mendl.
Submissions are open through September 30 in three categories: Art; Furniture & Home Décor; and Dwelling (a space for plants, animals, or humans). Category winners will receive $200 ReStore gift cards, while Best in Show earns $500. This year’s top honor will be selected by a panel of judges, but the rest of the winners are up to the public. Online voting runs October 1-15, allowing the community to decide which projects rise to the top.
“In a world increasingly dominated by algorithms and A.I., the ReUse Contest keeps it local, spontaneous, and human,” Asheville ReStore Manager Scott Bianchi shares in a press statement. “We love seeing the inspired ideas our community showcases, and the way donated materials are creatively repurposed into art. You never know what you may find in the ReStore, and every year we’re amazed to see what you do with your finds.”
Entries for the ReStore ReUse Contest will be accepted through September 30. Voting takes place online October 1-15 at ashevillehabitat.org/reuse-contest.