Looking for something to do on Saturday? Across the street from yesterday’s new student housing compound on Merritt Drive is a consignment store called CHArtReUSe. In the neighborhood of the former Pomona Cotton Mill, a husband and wife team opened the “artistic reuse” store last July. They make some of the artwork that is for sale and represent other, mostly-local artists. CHArtReUSe is an eclectic mix of styles ranging from 1950’s bowling alley bright to garden-white shabby chic. Many of the items in the store are repurposed. For example, Christmas cookie tins are cut and assembled into metal flowers for the patio. They take old, tired furniture, paint the wood and reupholster it. As with the items in the store, we’re predicting that this part of town is on its way to being transformed.

After milling about CHArTReUSe for a while, we’re heading to the Green Bean for the collaborative artists’ Hand-to-Hand event from 3-10pm today. We’re sharing this photo with our friends at Weekend Reflection who will appreciate our efforts at taking an artsy photo with lots of reflections in the details.