Celena Cantrell of Eau Claire has a keen eye for things that can be delightfully recycled, or as she calls it, UPcycled into quirky new things that she has successfully sold to eager customers for the past 20 years or so. She says she's "Making something not wasted, but re-createed, both handmade and original. Now, however, she's finally achieving an absolute dream come true with her own shop near her hometown that she is calling Peacefully UPcycled.
For now Peacefully UPcycled is sort of a pop-up holiday store, but it will gain legs going forward and is already a hit after her grand opening weekend which just concluded.
You will easily join the ranks of those who love the shop if you count yourself among those who are "Stylish BoHo Hippie Chics" and/or "Funky Fun Loving Hat Wearing Happy Headed People." That's Celena's self-described target market on her new Facebook page.
She has been collecting salvaged windows, doors and other lumber from her work with Original Glassman Auctions for a number of years, and has assembled her colorful and eclectic Peacefully UPcycled Shed Shop essentially from three existing sheds by recycling and repurposing all the pieces and parts into her new retail center at 7110 Brush Lake Road in Eau Claire.
The Shed features her own hand-crafted, handmade Original Creations by Celena Racheal…UPcycled Funky Chunky Sweater Creations…Hats, Scarves, Head Bands, Hand & Wrist Warmers…Open Finger Texting Gloves and a whole lot more for adults, children, babies and even in doll sizes in some cases. She also makes all sorts of home decor signs, shelving, bird houses and other things using old license plates, old hardware from auctions, and other repurposed materials.
About five years ago Celena launched her Chunky Sweater Creations and they flew from her vendor booth at such craft fairs as the notable Chapel Hill Arts & Crafts Show which got its start in her own hometown and is now so large it is conducted each year at the Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds in Berrien Springs.
Celena and her family and friends have been working for nearly a year to prepare the Shed Shop for this past weekend's grand opening and they were not disappointed at all. In fact, she's going to have to ramp up production to keep the shelves filled thanks to the great success she has enjoyed already.
In a recent interview with her hometown paper, Celena likened her shop to "a unique gallery where the building is art in itself and filled with gifts for giving to the people you love, or even yourself."
On her Facebook page, Celena points out that all visitors to the Shed Shop are invited to "sign" the guest book by adding their name to the typewritten scroll on a vintage typewriter inside.
For now, the Peacefully UPcycled Shed Shop is open only on weekends with Saturday and Sunday hours running 10am to 7pm, and the shop will be open on Friday, December 23rd from 10am until midnight. The shop will then go into winter hibernation until the spring of 2017.
Look for the Shed Shop on Brush Lake Road, just off of M-62 between Eau Claire and Dowagiac just before Indian Lake Golf Course. Looks like it will be a happy holiday season at the Cantrell household.
