I have a problem...
I am trash picker. Well, not exactly. Last week, I saw in the trash one of those outdoor tents/canopies that you use to shade your yard or tables at a tag sale. I immediately thought of all the things I could do with the fabric:
make pouches
make triangular shade coverings (Yes, they exist, my friends have one)
Cut and use as a liner for the trunk of may car
Cut and use as a picnic blanket (provided it is waterproof)
The canopy looked heavy and I didn’t have my car and so I left it. I have told people that in retirement, I plan to start a business that gives new life to people’s cast off furniture. Some of the solid wood furniture I see on the street just needs some TLC in the form of a sanding and a new coat of stain. I will refurbish, recycle and in some cases repurpose the items. The desk my mother had when I was growing up was a solid wood door laid flat over two filing cabinets. When I disussed this recently with my mother, she mentioned that wood refurbishing is a specialty that is learned by apprenticing. She’s right and I hadn’t factored that into my plans. I just assumed watching a few tutorials on YouTube would be enough, but now I am not sure. I do know two things for sure about my retirement business. One, I will get to know the superintendents of large rental buildings so I can take the cast-offs in the buildings’ trash. Two, that I will have a stall at one of the top flea markets in Manhattan where there are many other furniture dealers. Actually, I know three things. Three, My workshop will be in Lambertville, NJ, or the environs along with my tiny house (another retirement item). Brooklyn and the other 4 boroughs don’t seem like I would find a piece of property to build my eco-friendly tiny home for a good price.