SHOP!—pay what you can

Creative Thrift operates within Creative Clay at 1846 1st Ave S. It’s the forever changing art supply store that is pay what you can! That’s right! YOU decide the price you want to pay for your items. Bring a bag, fill it up, and leave us what you feel is fair. Hurricanes Helene and Milton left so many in our community without their homes and artists without their studios. Many have no supplies to continue their work. Also, many expressive artists find themselves without their tools to heal.

Creative Thrift is here for you! For professional artists, expressive artists, hobbyists and kids, too! Come visit with your own bag—or we will provide you with one—and choose the supplies you need! If you can’t pay—all supplies are free to take unless marked.

We hope to see you soon. And from all of us at Creative Clay, we hope you are safe and healing from this traumatic past month. Let’s make some art!

DONATE!

Do you have an art supply donation for our store? Stop by with your donation between 9-4 M-F. Please give us a call first if you need assistance with your donation, so we can plan for some helpers to greet and assist you! Our number is 727-825-0515. Click here if you want to make a financial donation.

WHY creative thrift?

It was time for Creative Clay to move from the EDGE District to a new home in the Grand Central District. The idea of Creative Thrift happened during the move, as the Creative Clay team uncovered countless boxes and bins of donated art supplies that had been parroted away in various nooks and crannies in different studios, a shed, and an upstairs storage room throughout their building off Central Avenue. CEO Kim Dohrman had visited a thrift store in St. Pete that specialized in used art supplies and decided it might be a good fit for Creative Clay given the large number of art supply donations that had accumulated over the years. She pitched the idea to the Tampa Connection Class of 2017. The class, led by then President Woody Pollack, liked the idea and conducted a feasibility study and business plan for Creative Clay.

The goals of the store included creating a social entrepreneurial revenue stream, conducting on the job training apprenticeships for people with disabilities, and to giving an extra purpose to the many donations of supplies Creative Clay lovingly receives from the Tampa Bay community. Many of the supplies go directly into the studios after coming in. What we can’t use is up for grabs—for our teaching staff, professional artists from the community, expressive artists, and hobbyists!

Creative Clay is forever grateful to the Tampa Connection Class of 2017 for their help in making our Creative Thrift a success! Special thanks to Bianca Mieses, Ali Smith and Cristina Howell for taking an entire Sunday to volunteer to set our store up for business! Thanks to the following for writing our business plan: Bianca Mieses, Ali Smith, Cristina Howell, Sterling Birdson, Joshua Casselman, Tom Curran, Cori Godeke, Amy Harris, Logan Kanai, Neil Khant, Jordan Maniscalco, Nick Ptacek, and Julie Redcay.