In the City of Tucker, art is made and appreciated. It is a place where art is expressed and shared. Now the creative minds of Tucker have another resource to help them create more with Scraplanta. Scraplanta, a “creative reuse” store, recently opened its doors to provide the local arts community a wealth of inexpensive, “pre-loved” art supplies.
“Everybody is very receptive,” Scraplanta Executive Director Jonelle Dawkins said. “We are grateful for how the Tucker folks have treated us since we have moved here.”
Not only is Scraplanta a place where people can buy art supplies, it is a place where they can do so sustainably. They encourage people not to throw away their leftover art supplies or scraps, instead asking that those be donated.
“Scraplanta is a 501(c)(3) non-profit,” Dawkins said. “What we do is inspire people to make art instead of throwing things away. We accept things like art, classroom, office and party supplies.”
The community of Tucker has shown support to Scraplanta since before they even established a permanent location. Before Scraplanta established its roots in the Briarcliff Village Plaza, the company began with multiple pop-up shops in the Atlanta metro area. One of those spots was in the City of Tucker right beside Corner Cup. It was there that Scraplanta started to gain the support and interest of the Tucker community.
“We had some pop-ups at Corner Cup, and they just supported us from our earlier days as Scraplanta,” Dawkins said. “They also help get the word out… My founders told me that when they did Corner Cup it was a great way to meet people. When I started, we had sort of a following already because people were excited from the times we had at Corner Cup and even at preschools.”
After finding success with their pop-up shops, Scraplanta decided to open up shop at Briarcliff Village. The continued support of the Tucker community has flooded into the Scraplanta store. A line of people waited outside for their doors to open for the first time.
“When I announced that we were going to be in Tucker, I saw even more excitement,” Dawkins said. “There were so many people that were like, ‘We know where that is! We’re going to be there.”
Dawkins said that she has many customers who come multiple times a week for their supplies and art classes, and she enjoys seeing their artwork when they are done. Dawkins has seen customers come in and buy random pieces of supplies that they then turn into masterpieces. She loves the support she has received from the Tucker community, and members of the community love the resources that Scraplanta provides.
“Tucker is a very nice city,” Dawkins said. “It has a very friendly vibe. We have a lot of customers who come back every week or many times during the week. It is a very family friendly environment, so it is great for teaching classes. We have people who are excited about this in the community.”
