By Sierra Hubbard
The Keene Sentinel, N.H.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) From beads to fedoras, Debbie Tawse is offering a variety of materials and resources for creative types at her recently launched “Big Ideas Warehouse.” Her goal is to inspire artists and crafters by recycling material.
The Keene Sentinel, N.H.
Crafters, artists and creative personalities have a new place to shop in Keene.
Debra “Debbie” Tawse of Walpole launched Big Ideas Warehouse this month, based in a shared space at 12 Norway Ave. Tawse originally pitched the concept at last year’s CONNECT event, a networking opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovators in the Monadnock Region.
“I had this idea for a creative reuse center,” Tawse said. “… They’re places where people can bring or donate materials — craft, art, things that can be repurposed for creative things — and then they resell them for a very low price.”
Her idea was well-received, but she didn’t know what to do with it.
Meanwhile, Tawse worked with Tracy Gunn — owner of Life is Sweet, The Flight Deck and the soon-to-open eatery Willie McCoy’s — to launch Team Keene earlier this year. The goal of that initiative is to promote the city outside of the region, and the pair use office space at 12 Norway Ave.
Then, Tawse realized she could use that same space to open her creative reuse center, and thus Big Ideas Warehouse was born.
For now, the business is open on the first Friday and Saturday of each month.
“Right now, I have a lot of my own personal treasures,” Tawse said, laughing. “A lot of people don’t call them treasures, but I do.”
From beads to fedoras, Tawse is offering a variety of materials and resources for creative types in the area. She hopes to launch a consignment setup for people looking to sell unwanted materials, and she also plans to accept donations from businesses of parts they don’t need anymore.
Some examples include cones from spent embroidery thread or blocks of wood that a business can’t use, Tawse said.
Her goal is to inspire artists and crafters by recycling material. It can also benefit teachers who need to purchase classroom supplies, Tawse said.
All are welcome to view her “treasures” on the first weekend of October, Tawse said. Big Ideas Warehouse will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. on the first Friday of every month and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first Saturday.
For more information, find Big Ideas Warehouse on Facebook, or sign up for the email list at teamkeene.com/big-ideas-warehouse.
