Escape the daily grind
Turn trash back into treasures at Wheeler’s Repair Cafe
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
After taking a breather, getting a whole new cast of team members and doing some creative reimagining of its mission, Cartm is back in a new spot and providing fun ways to reduce, reuse and repair.
“So many people thought that the Manzanita transfer station was Cartm,” said Jessi Just, executive director of the organization, now called Heart of Cartm. “But we were just a nonprofit that was operating it.”
For almost 30 years, Cartm created a thriving partnership with the county that centered around the “Refindery” reuse store at the public transfer station, making it much more than just a place to dump waste and recycling.
With the belief that landfilling should be the absolute last resort for “garbage,” the group sponsored repair clinics, art shows and a very popular “trashion” show, where people created runway-worthy outfits out of things destined for the waste heap.
The partnership came to an end in 2018 when the county took on all operations at the transfer station.
“A little while after the end of that partnership, I approached the board and presented a plan and they were pretty excited,” Just said. “They said ‘If you can get new people and new energy, that would be great.’ We essentially kept the name and bylaws, it just changed hands.”
The “Office of Reimagination” opened just south of Manzanita in the picturesque town of Wheeler in August.
“They are working to revitalize the downtown area and had space for us,” Just said. “It seemed like the perfect place to re-start. We love Wheeler.”
With the primary mission of extending the life of objects by any means possible, the shop offers salvaged and handmade objects for sale, make-and-take art projects and, on the second Saturday of every month, the Repair Café, where people who know how to fix things volunteer their time and expertise to those who don’t.
“It’s been a very popular program,” Just said. “Part of it is, being in a rural area, we don’t have the repair shops that exist in an urban area. Also, because of our society’s throwaway system that creates things that can’t be fixed, fewer people have the know-how to repair something they have that actually can be. We encourage people to sit down with our expert fixers and learn about their items — that’s one of the best parts of the program.”
When not being utilized during the Repair Cafés, the tables in the back of the shop are used for fun, creative art projects open to all ages on a drop-in basis.
“The make-and-take art projects have been extremely popular with both kids and adults,” Just said. “I love to see families come in together, or grandparents with kids and even adults coming in all by themselves.”
The tools and materials are provided, and admission is by donation.
“We set up a specific project and help you with it,” Just said. “Or you can peruse the store and add to it.”
Past projects have included fascinators, which are small highly decorative hats; light catchers; and magnets.
“We will be doing handmade cards and envelopes through the holiday season,” Just said. “I encourage people to come in and make cards for friends and family. We have lots of really nice paper choices and things to decorate them with.”
New life is also being put into the next big Trash Bash.
“Cartm threw the first Trash Bash in 1999,” Just said. “It was a wild success and went on for many years. We are following that tradition in May with our first Trash Bash Art Festival.”
The event will include the Rehomed Art Show at the Pine Grove, the Trash Art Gallery at The Hoffman Center and the Trashion Show, held at a yet-to-be determined outdoor location.
“Working at Cartm has taught me that we should be looking at things as resources, not trash,” Just said. “We are just looking for creative ways to use the resources in our community and reimagine waste.”
The Office of Reimagination is located at 395 Nehalem Blvd. in Wheeler and is open Friday through Monday from noon to 6 pm. For more information, go to heartofcartm.org or call 971-389-8414.
Poster design contest
The promotional poster for every Trash Bash has been designed by a community member, and a new contest is being held for the revived event in spring. The winning poster will best represent this year’s theme, “Transformation” and Cartm’s mission to reimagine waste.
Submissions are due by 5 pm on Friday, Dec. 10.
One winner, selected by Dec. 17, will receive a $500 award. The winning artwork will also be used to advertise the 2022 festival throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Email submissions to jessi@heartofcartm.org.