Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

So many crazy, fun finds here. Highly recommend following them on Facebook or Instagram to see what new things pop into the store. Love the bulk section. For only $ 8 you can get a grocery bag full of crafting goodies for reuse.

Art night is the best! byob with crafts and good friends!

Creative Reuse is a mecca for those who love sewing, knitting, crocheting, painting, or any other method of creating something beautiful out of a shapeless pile of materials. I’ve decorated my house and made clothing using their 99-​cent fabric swatches, and there are pieces of art from their $ 5 section on my walls. I even fashioned my boyfriend a gladiator costume for Halloween entirely out of leather scarps and buckles from their bulk bins and 99-​cent linen from their fabric section. It cost about $ 15 max, which is incredible since we budgeted about $ 50 for the same materials from Jo-​Ann Fabrics! I admire the commitment to reusing and recycling evidenced by this establishment, and I look forward to supporting them for years to come.
P. S. The staff I’ve interacted with have always been awesome and super chill. Love it!

This place is the best! I love wandering through the store when I have a few hours to spare. I rarely get anything, but I love to see what they have. You can find anything – empty pens, piano hammers, projectors, typewriters, sine wave generators. The volunteers are extremely friendly, and the ideology of the store is great. I’m so lucky to have been introduced to it my first week in Pittsburgh; there are people who’ve lived in the area for years and can’t believe they’ve never seen it.
If you have an hour or an afternoon to spare, walk through and see what treasures you’ll find!

The PCCR is a nonprofit, self-​sustaining business that began out a van years ago. The staff and volunteers are extremely pleasant from my experiences. You never know what you are going to find here — medical supplies, beads, vintage photography thingymabobs, school supplies, shells, wine corks, paints, leather, molds, stencils… I could go on. Forever.
Plan to go when you have AT LEAST an hour to browse!
Check their website regularly, they have a pay-​what-​you-​can ‘open studio’ where you can use items in the bulk section to finish a project… or start one! They also have many community outreach programs and FUNdraisers!!!

This is one of those places that is great in theory for me. I love the idea of having a place that allows you to reuse scraps or old craft supplies. I’ve donated bagfuls of fat quarters and tubes of sequins and so forth here. However, I’ve never purchased anything. I’m really not the kind of person that hoards craft supplies, just waiting for a rainy day (hence, all of my donations) and you can’t really shop here with a list like you would a traditional craft supply store. If you like just browsing for random craft supplies, then this is a great resource.

Love PCCR! Such an amazing addition to the ‘burgh, allowing unused products to be reused in a creative manner and a great place for anyone working on a crafty project to pick up supplies at the right price.
My first time at PCCR was a class where we made a pillow with all re-​purposed materials. So green, and so fun. I haven’t used a sewing machine since middle school, and Suzie, the instructor was very patient and helpful during the whole process. My pillow is proudly sitting on my couch at home! Props to the PCCR employee who heard me complaining about being a tad hungover and brought me a cup of coffee — soooo sweet!
Second trip was for an Open Studio Night and it was amazing! You can bring your own materials for a project, or start from scratch with all free materials from the bulk section (available for free to Open Studio Night participants). You can also purchase other items from the store at a discounted rate. Guests are encouraged to bring snacks and booze. Such a fun idea for a group of friends or even if you are solo to mix and mingle with other creative people. Check out the PCCR pinterest page for inspiration.
I’ve also been there to purchase supplies — their selection of sewing patterns is cramazing, esp now that they have reorganized them. I went in with my Mom one Saturday and got everything we needed to make a simple jumper dress (pattern, thread, and fabric) for under ten bucks!
Great for non-​crafters, too. If you are looking for frames or gift bags, this is the place. Need 100 wine corks? PCCR has it. Need old telephone wire for an art project? PCCR has it. Need 100 doll heads for a crazy theme party? PCCR has it!

I really like Creative Reuse– I always give them too much of my money when I go there. They’ve got tons of supplies for crafting and making, and it’s lovely to be able to find odd fabric, yarn, tatting shuttles, and crafting stuff in the same place as odd old blueprints, excess medical accessories, cut up bike inner tubes, laminate samples, toy goats, and tons more oddball items. I wish it was easier to find things, that the layout didn’t change frequently, and that the workshops were for higher-​level skills, but as it is I’m still a huge fan.

PCCR is amazing. When ever I go in, i feel like my brain goes on overload with ideas! Great deals, great mission, and really makes my life easier when it comes to making art projects.

I want to be in love with this place, but I’m not. I live by DIY and always have a project going on. PCCR always has great stuff and you could spend a lot of time browsing and come out with supplies for projects you never knew you wanted to do.
But sadly the staff and workshops can be hit or miss. I’m by no means expecting customers to be treated like queens when they’re there. Just as a decent human beings. I’ve seen the staff be pretty rude to people (and myself), mainly during the disorganized workshops I’ve been to.
The staff and workshops have steered me away from going more often and volunteering at PCCR, but I do go and check out the goods every once in a while and hope a friendly person is working.

This place is a crafters paradise. There is a ton of fabric, carpet tiles, yarn, glass, frames, and other fun stuff to create your own art. They have sales that go on here like buy a few baskets and get a few free.
Everything is laid out quite nicely and it is easy to navigate around this store. The prices are cheap as well.
My only complaint about this place was the staff. When it was my turn to check out the lady accused me of getting the fabric that I was purchasing from the «do not pick from» pile by the register. When I told her that I got the fabric in the back of the store she proceeded to argue with me about the 99 cent piece of fabric I was buying. It was 99 cents?!! Come on! Why would I be behind the register?! Finally I told her to keep it and she stopped arguing and told me I could have the fabric for 99 cents. Then she warned me that next time I wouldn’t get it for that price.
Sadly if that chick is working I will not be back a second time. I came to shop and not argue about a piece of fabric.

Creative Reuse is a great addition to the Pittsburgh area. I love seeing places like this pop up. It used to be in Construction Junction but has recently branched out on it’s own. (It is still right around the corner in the same building.)
I believe it is totally run on volunteer hours. I love going here for random art supplies and making art work with recycled things. Keep up the good work guys! I’ll be back often.