This February a new kind of art place will be opening its door. Well...new in a way. Small Change is a secondhand arts and crafts supply store nestled inside the massive Side Street building in Cashmere. The Side Street project is an ongoing (did we mention massive?) development at 107 Railroad Avenue in Cashmere. Spanning an entire city block, The Side Street aims to be an arts and entertainment hub complete with coffee shop, performance venues, artist studio spaces, gift shops and markets. One such shop is Small Change. The unique space recently had a soft opening but the official Grand Opening is Saturday, Feb. 3rd.
“Small Change is the newest tenant at The Side Street. They are bringing this historic building back to life in Cashmere and creating a community hub of local businesses, starting with the opening of a cider taproom, coffee shop and mercantile set to open April 1, 2024.” Says Small Change owner, Hailey Glass.
Glass’s interest in ‘all things needed to make art’ stems from her love of the creative side of things. After living in an R.V. for 4 years with her husband, the couple turned their summer home of the Wenatchee Valley into their full time place of residence.
“I have always been an artist, and I’m the kind of person who will try any medium once. I have had an array of small businesses over the years, from selling and showing my visual art, to selling vintage items and a handmade jewelry business. Jewelry is my current art form and I participate at ‘Leavenworth Art in the Park’ in the summer season.”
The Comet reached out to Glass to get the firsthand info on the secondhand art goods.
What was your inspiration for starting Small Change? Tell us about the name you chose for the store.
I have always loved creative reuse shops. It’s a growing retail format happening all over the country, my hometown in Texas had the best little creative reuse shop, and after moving here I missed it so much. After talking with my creative community, I really felt like a shop like this was needed in the valley. I imagined a special place, filled with affordable supplies and unique treasures to inspire the creative mind. The layer of sustainability and re-imagining the life-cycle of items that some might see as ~trash~ is an added bonus and one that is close to my heart. The exterior wall of the shop, and 99% of interior fixtures are all secondhand. You will find vintage glass, doors and table legs in that wall. Super cool.
When the opportunity came up to get a space in The Side Street last year, I jumped on it and quickly created a business plan and started accepting donations.
Small Change has a layered meaning. Yes, we are a small, but mighty, space (about 120 square feet) but it’s more than that. ‘Small Changes’ can make a big difference (to our planet and community) and all the supplies are super affordable...meaning you can explore new mediums for Small Change.
Describe all the types of things the store offers.
We offer all types of secondhand art supplies and crafty materials. From drawing and painting, to fiber arts, fabric, kid crafts and scrapbooking. Because all products are donation based, our assortment is always changing. New items hit the shelves every week. Our focus is on reuse so you are also guaranteed to find a unique smattering of items that spark creativity, like corks, vintage stamps, photo slides and funky bits and bobs.
We are a self-serve community focused shop. If the door is open, so are we! The current hours are Monday-Friday 11 AM-6 PM & Saturdays 12-4 PM. Come in, grab a shopping basket, add up your items and then pay at the self pay station. We accept Venmo, all major credit cards, cash and Apple Pay. I also work for the owners of The Side Street so I am typically in the building.
Oh...the vending machine! Don’t miss our rad vending machine outside of the shop. It is full of artwork, stickers and more by rotating local artists. We also plan on supplying creative kits and some yummy snacks. Artists make 100% of the money they make from their row. A cash-only machine that accepts ones and fives, items are priced $1-$20.
What are your hopes for the future of Small Change?
My main hope for the future is that Small Change can host an array of creative classes and events for the community. If anyone is wanting to host a class or creative group please reach out! It can be for kids or adults.
It’s brand new but what has the response been so far?
The response has been so positive! Everyone that has heard of it, or seen the shop in progress has expressed excitement and support. I think the creative community is really excited to have a like-minded small business to support. People have been donating items since April, long before our planned opening and that meant so much.
Are you looking for people to help, donate or otherwise get involved? If so, how can they go about that?
We are always looking for donations of crafty supplies and art materials. Our list of accepted items is on our website and you can also schedule the time of your donation drop-off there. We are currently in need of fabric and painting supplies.
If you are a local artist, apply for the vending machine! You make 100% of the money for your row over 60 days. We would love to have you be a part of it. You can apply on the website.
As mentioned, we are also looking for humans to host creative classes and gatherings for kids and adults.
Web/social media links:
smallchangereuse.com
@smallchangereuse
Small Change Grand Opening
Saturday, Feb.3rd at 10 AM
109 Railroad Avenue, Cashmere.
