The I.D.E.A. Store

A hidden gem in the Champaign area! This store is filled with a variety of recycled craft and trinket items that are perfect for artists, teachers, kids, and adults! The items are most likely measured by the pound, so the ending total will always be a pleasant surprise for the buyers because of the extremely low prices.

Let your imagination go wild.
This place is a treasure chest for vintage items, arranged in a random assortment alongside other unique items and scrap parts. Their stock ranges from small envelopes and post cards to plastic and rubber materials. Prices are more than reasonable. Can’t wait to go back!

Super friendly & helpful staff. Love to donate & love to pick through their shop, too. I get tennis balls for my dog here, 25¢ a piece!!!

An absolute gem of a resource for any arty farty maker shaker. I love looking through all of the crap to find the few gems which cost next to nothing. I could stay all day filling up bags of this and that with sparkles and buttons and yarn and thread, and who knows what.
Great resource for art supply hoarders and teachers of small children who need to have a treasure chest of marvelous junk to make into something beautiful.
LOVE IT!!!

What a GREAT concept! This place is so much fun! Every city needs an IDEA store — great way to repurpose/​recycle!!! If you are in the Champaign/​Urbana area, a visit to the IDEA store is a MUST!

The IDEA store has any random craft item you could ever dream of. Also, it’s dirt cheap. Seriously. It makes Goodwill prices look like an upscale boutique.
Alas, it’s closed on Sundays though. The sole reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

This place is awesome! They have any kind of random junk you would need to make some cool artwork! Just about everything is sold by the pound, which also makes it really cheap! My friend got a bunch of stuff to make a «mad eye moody» costume, and it was really cheap and she looked great!

I’ve made everything from a poster for a student organization to room décor from supplies I’ve found here. If you’re a swing dancer, raid the fake flowers for hair accessories. I also tend to find old map paper and photos for fun decorations.
They sell everything by the pound here, for mere cents and dollars. I think the most expensive thing I bought was two dollars at most. Keep an open mind, and this place is your oyster.

This is a really interesting store! If you’re into crafting or just like random things, give the IDEA store a visit. They take donations and they have every random thing you could ever need.
From glass test tubes, to scraps of fabric, to plastic beads– they have it all.
They also do birthday parties for kids, I saw a group of kids with hats walking through the store and gathering goodies for crafts.

One of the most magical places on earth, and certainly my favorite place in Champaign-​Urbana.
If you’re into crafting, DIYing, or just tend to MacGyver your way through life, this is definitely the place for you. There is always something new and awesome to discover here, whether you’re looking for a specific item or tool to complete a project or are open to being inspired by whatever they happen to have in stock that day, you surely won’t be disappointed.
I can also strongly recommend volunteering here, if you have a bit of free time to spare. It is so satisfying to help sort through & organize their donations, and a lot of fun to see all the cool stuff that comes in everyday!

Okay so I wrote out the long detailed review about my experience here but then I deleted it all. Words do not do this place justice. This is by far the coolest store I have ever been in anywhere. Go see for yourself!

This place is great! So much stuff and such great prices! There are always new items out and the staff is so friendly. They really try to help you find what you are looking for or give you ideas about what you can use. And, its a nonprofit! All the money raised goes to support the local schools through their education foundation.

An amazing one-​of-​a-​kind place. It’s a creative reuse store, which means that people donate all kinds of art supplies, crafts, materials, etc. The proceeds go to help further art education in the local schools in CU.
I volunteer here and it’s about the most exciting place I’ve EVER worked. The people are super friendly.
There are literally hundreds of things you can find here including yarn, paper, frames, wood, metal, cards, markers, office supplies, fabrics, lace, books, magazines, antiques, post cards, beads, ribbons, thread, stamps, paints, jars, toys, fake flowers, hardware tools, jewelry, scrapbooking supplies, baskets, knitting needles, notions, stickers, etc etc. And the prices are extremely reasonable.
They also teach various classes about green crafts and recycled art. And they offer children’s birthday parties. I would have loved to have had a party here as a child!
Very nicely organized, clean, full of light and warm, sweet people.