On a daily basis, thrift stores see all types of items come through their doors.
(prHWY.com) March 29, 2012 - Seattle, WA -- On a daily basis, thrift stores see all types of items come through their doors. People will donate everything from essential items such as socks, shirts and pants, to crazy, bizarre items such as a stuffed squirrel holding a nut, to a supposed real life unicorn horn. Many of these items sit on a shelf until a store manager tosses it in the garbage bin.
One thrift store in western Iowa has come up with a new idea on how to handle the crazy and bizarre items. A Trinket from Your Past is hosting a contest to see who can come up with a unique creature or statue using only items that were donated to the thrift store.
"I am a huge supporter of the arts", said owner of A Trinket from Your Past, Tammy Gavins. "I thought this would be a great way to get people's creative juices flowing, while finding a use for those insane items people donate to our thrift store."
The contest is open to anyone in the Iowa and surrounding area. There are several different categories including ones for various age groups, local schools, and content categories. The only requirement to enter is all the items have to be purchased from the store.
"We are keeping detailed records for those who are entering the contest", said contest coordinator Jim Bellows. "This allows us to know what people purchased and didn't purchase. There will be no cheating at this contest."
Contest entrants are allowed to use up to three items that have been purchased outside of the
thrift store. In the case of the structure category, items used to support a free-standing structure do not count. All outside objects must be shown to contest judges and recorded in a log book.
"I didn't think anyone would be interested in the contest, but we had over 100 people enter within the first week of advertising the contest", said Gavins. "I was completely floored."
The contest is open until the end of July. Over 500 people have already submitted applications to enter the contest. Every Monday, over 30 people stand in line waiting for the store to open so they can go through the newly arrived items.
"Every Monday I wait outside A Trinket from Your Past", said contest entrant Valerie Narrows. "It's the day they get new items in, and I want to see if there's anything I can use for my project. I feel so weird telling people that I get up at 6 a.m. to search through a thrift store, but it's really fun."
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