A Waukesha nonprofit is keeping art materials out of the landfill and putting them back into the hands of the community at prices almost anyone can afford.Scraps and Sparks, a craft thrift store, sells donated art supplies incl uding yarn, fabric, school supplies, markers, crayons, and pencils. Everything in the store has been donated by the community.The shop was founded by Teresa Heier, a retired Milwaukee Public Schools teacher with 30 years in education and Justin Belot, a current MPS school teacher. Teresa was inspired by a similar shop in Sheboygan. Learn more about Scraps and Sparks in the videos below How Scraps and Sparks gives donated art supplies a second life in Waukesha Scraps and Sparks is giving donated art supplies a second life in Waukesha"I had gone to a thrift store in Sheboygan and I was just so inspired by it a couple of years ago and I said I'm gonna do this when I retire," Teresa said.Teresa retired in June, and the store opened July 16."I really wanted to give back. I'm not really old yet and I wanted to give back to the community," Teresa said."And recycle and reuse art supplies," she added.When the store first opened and put out a call for donations, the response exceeded expectations."The response was incredible. Every single thing in the store pretty much has been donated," Teresa said.The store continues to accept donations Tuesday through Saturday during store hours.Teresa said the donated inventory ranges from gently used items to brand-new supplies. One donor alone contributed roughly 1,000 Pipsqueak markers, which the store sold for $1 per 10 markers.The goal of Scraps and Sparks is not to maximize revenue, but to make crafting accessible."Our goal is to give back and let people have these affordable supplies and educate the community," Teresa said.The store also offers classes. Learn more by clicking here.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less