Three years ago, Becky Kliss picked up a “really cool” mosaic table top left out for the trash following an Antiques on the Bluff show one Sunday evening in St. Joe. She grabbed the opportunity, threw the thing into her garage and felt guilt pangs as it screamed at her every time she went into her garage for anything. Recognizing her “marginal at best ‘handy-woman’ skills,” the colorful table top languished even though she knew only too well that many around her were capitalizing on the opportunity to re-purpose such a piece.
In more recent times Becky’s involvement with the Trash to Treasure movement which I shared with you recently in another story, pushed her to think about the items in her own house that deserve a better fate than the garbage or recycling bins.
What really triggered her decision to establish a new business in downtown St. Joseph called Re-Imagine, however, was when Becky’s 7-year old adopted niece Aubrey proceeded to decorate her Christmas Tree during a camp-over event with “chewed up, stuffing-less, dog toys that were otherwise doomed for the trash heap.” After Aubrey’s departure, Becky left the tree up and was amazed at the reaction of family and friends who regaled her with praise for the great idea. The proverbial light bulb went off and Ms. Kliss was on the way to her next conquest.
Re-Imagine, now open for business at 414 State Street in downtown St. Joseph, is part workshop, part consignment store, part resale shop, part repair house, part class room, part art gallery, and perhaps one of the most eclectic recycle bins you’ll ever stumble across.
After spending four months over the winter scanning Florida for consignment shops, resale stores, estate sales and garage sales, Becky had a pretty good handle on what people were getting rid of and why most of the nicer facilities declined items in need of repair, or those in less than ideal condition, and/or mismatched items.
That’s when Becky turned her focus to those broken, mis-matched, in-need-of-tender-loving-care pieces and started collecting them for her shop in St. Joe. She acquired a 12-foot trailer and the necessary YouTube training videos to maneuver it successfully through the mountains and loaded up to head home.
Once back in Michigan’s Great Southwest she launched her search for the ideal location with the help of Cornerstone Alliance and, running out of time and options for the purchase of her ideal setting, elected to lease space in the central business district right next door to The Buck Burgers & Brew in the space that was the long time home to the John Devries Insurance Agency and before that the studios of WSJM Radio back in the 1960s and early 70s.
Re-Imagine is a unique menagerie of home and art items on consignment here in Phase 1. Becky is willing to take art of any type, glassware & pottery (except for fine china), furniture (except beds) from vintage to modern, lamps & lamp shades whether they work or are matched or not, outdoor decor & patio sets, pictures, plants and area rugs, and “eclectic items that are rare and unique finds.” There are no guarantees that she will take what you offer. Due to space limitations she will make the determination, and she will not take electronics, beds or clothing.
If you have items for consideration, stop in and visit or email Becky at reimagineconsignment@gmail.com or call 269-849-9121. She will need photos to make her determination to carry or not.
Regarding art, Becky says you don’t have to be an “artist” to consign. She says, “It’s about promoting local-made items that could just be a side hobby for someone to earn a couple of bucks. We want to open the door for those who aren’t confident in their talent right alongside those who are seasoned artists.” She adds recycled and up-cycled locally created art will be her priority.
In Phase 2, Becky is looking at Creative Re-Use, accepting scraps of any type for transformation into an art or craft project. She will accept donations of items such as scrapbooking materials or upholstery scraps, beads, buttons, game pieces, ceramic tile scraps, etc which she will sell at low cost with all profits going to the non-profit New Territory Arts Association in Benton Harbor. Classes will start in the Re-Imagination Station in August. Those interested in being instructors to teach a class there can call her.
In Phase 3, Re-Imagine will resemble a Repair Cafe, creating meeting places for those who are good are repairing things and helping those who aren’t so good at it to learn how to fix broken items. She is seeking handy folks willing to be part of a trial run of the concept in late August or early September.
In keeping with her Trash to Treasure initiative, Becky also wants to make sure that kids are included in classes and she has set aside an area of the store for them to play with things and create things anew through up-cycling to build on that momentum.
With the huge opportunity for all sorts of ideas across the board, you might consider Re-Imagine at 414 State Street in St. Joe to be, as Becky calls it, “Pinterest on steroids!”
Hours at Re-Imagine will vary, but you’ll find Becky and company in the house regularly every day except Tuesday. Follow her on Facebook and perhaps call ahead if you’re concerned they might not be open for business when you want to go.
