Modern western culture, and America in particular, has long been known for its throwaway culture. Disposable razors, zip-lock bags, plastic containers, even cell phones — everything is meant to be discarded when you are done with it or ready for something new. We buy, consume, discard, replace, and repeat the cycle, again and again.
But in the last decade, since the environmental movement has taken hold, recycling has become trendy. Old is the new new. Two businesses have opened recently in Tahoe City — Salvaged and Trunk Show — that are all about repurposing and upcycling old objects, as well as showcasing local artists. These owners find beauty in shedding new light on unwanted stuff.
Salvaged Salvaged, which opened July 1 on the West Shore near Pet Station, was started by two friends, Renee Koijane and Alissa Morganti. Koijane, who started oil painting after college, had dreamed for years of opening her own store. She was part of Riverside Studios in Truckee for a year, but took an eight-year break from painting while her two boys were little.
Morganti, who was an art major in college and had been teaching art classes at different schools in the area, dreamed of starting a community gathering space where she could teach classes, a vision that was also put on hold after her three children were born. The two women, who met eight years ago through a mutual friend, decided this year to combine their interests — art, art classes, and repurposed objects — in a shared space for both the community and other artists.
“I am an artist at heart, and I am hoping to bring more of what I love to this community,” said Koijane, 40, who is also the Squaw Valley Institute executive director. “The moral of this business is to be resourceful and creative and a conscientious consumer. Artists can often propagate that message really well.”
Koijane has become a master at seeing what no one else can see in objects left on the side of the road or for sale at garage sales — their potential. She recently picked up an old wooden bench on the roadside that was splintering and badly in need of a paint job. She glued it, painted it bright green, placed it in Salvaged, and now everybody asks about it (for the record, it’s not for sale).
“One hundred people might pass by an object and never look at it,” Koijane said. “I showcase it differently and people say, ‘Where did you get that?’”
Morganti also delights in creating new things out of old pieces, like her Measure Upskis, skinny skis that she rescued from dumpsters or yard sales and turned into children’s wall measurements.
“The trend now in our society is more of repurposing, recycling, upcycling,” said Morganti, 41. “We are more of that niche, rather than creating an original piece of art from supplies you buy at a store.”
Trunk Show Like Koijane and Morganti, Jaclyn Woznicki opened Trunk Show in the Cobblestone Mall in May to showcase local artists and upcycled art. Woznicki is a jewelry maker who has been selling her handcrafted and recycled jewelry line, Bella Petunia, at local art shows since she moved to Kings Beach from Philadelphia nine years ago. Her jewelry designs incorporate such found objects as hardware bits and pieces, like O-rings, washers, and nuts and bolts, as well as bottle caps and guitar picks.
Woznicki is especially fond of old suitcases, which she uses in her store to display jewelry, and even stacked up as tables. Another inventive way she displays necklaces is by hanging them from an old saw. She also makes bowls out of scratched vinyl records.
“Maybe they can’t play records anymore, but they can still bring people joy in a new way,” Woznicki said.
Trunk Show carries items from other local artists, many of whom also use recycled materials. Skrapnel makes colorful tote bags out of leftover canvas from West Shore Canvas. Artist Ben Rodgers creates images of Lake Tahoe silhouettes on scraps of plexiglass.
And similar to Koijane and Morganti, Woznicki wants to use her store as a place to create a sense of community. The first Friday of every month, Trunk Show serves cocktails and sets up an artist and his work in front of the store from 5 to 9 p.m., along with a live DJ.
“Tahoe City was starting to lose its sense of community,” said Woznicki. “Besides the Concerts at Commons Beach and softball, there were not a lot of ways for Tahoe locals to relate together.”
And coming together as a community is one idea that never gets old.
Salvaged is located at 585 West Lake Blvd., Tahoe City, (530) 583-1025, salvagedtahoe.com
Trunk Show is located at 475 North Lake Blvd., Tahoe City, (530) 584-7554, facebook.com/TrunkShow/TahoeCity
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