SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Kim Davis describes herself as a crafty person. Davis makes watercolor paintings and junk journals, so she knows what it’s like to have a surplus of supplies or to need them.
Davis discovered that cities like Utica and Rochester have stores where supplies could be donated and rebought. Her interest was sparked.
“I had no idea because we (Syracuse) didn’t have one. And I was like, all right.”
The seed was planted, and Davis started meeting with the small business association, though she says they were skeptical that she would receive donations.
“They said, ‘See if you can find donations,’ because they thought I was nuts. I was like, ‘OK, challenge accepted.’ And so, I ended up getting supplies pouring in soon as I started telling people what I was going to do,” Davis explained.
The community response excited Davis and urged her to find a way to give back.
After talking to a friend, Davis noticed that teachers often spend a lot of money on supplies each year.
So, she added a teacher supply closet, where Davis organizes school supplies that teachers can take for free.
Once she advertised the closet on the store’s Facebook page, the response was overwhelming.
“The community came out like you’d never believe. Bags and bags of stuff to give teachers. I have served 68 teachers already,” she said.
Soon, the store was crowded with customers, teachers and donations. Davis realized that after only being open for a few months, it was time to expand.
“We knocked the wall down,” Davis said.
The new space is used for craft sessions hosted by either Davis’ daughter or Syracuse art teachers.
Kathryn Alonso-Bergevin, who teaches art to kids in Syracuse City schools, said when Davis needed help, she was happy to step in.
“I walked in one day when Kim was open, and she said, ‘I need someone to teach adult classes. What can you teach?’ And then I came up with a whole schedule of different crafts, and now Wednesday nights are like our thing,” Bergevin said.
Bergevin has led different sessions, but she says the most popular have been her Kinusaiga, a traditional Japanese craft that transforms fabric scraps into mosaic-like pictures without sewing, craft nights.
As an art teacher, Bergevin says the store is also helpful for clearing out surplus supplies.
“Now the store has stuff that’s super high quality of stuff we didn’t want anymore,” she said.
Davis says she wants the craft sessions to continue growing, but for now, the community support has fulfilled her.
“This is a magical place,” she said.
The store, located at 3532 W. Genesee St., is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Donations are welcomed.