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January 2024 by Kendall Wolfe
I’m so glad that the Waste Shed exists! I almost always find some good stuff when I pop in to look around. Also most of the staff is super friendly and welcoming!-1 star because it’s unnecessarily difficult to determine when they’re open. The hours posted outside of the business don’t match the hours on their website which also don’t match the hours on Google. For some reason, the hours posted on Google are more frequently the correct hours. I’d suggest calling before you head over just to be doubly sure that they’re really open at the specific location you intend to visit. On more than a few occasions I’ve driven to the store fully believing them to be open for normal business only to find that they’re closed.
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October 2023 by Barbara K Iverson
Curated discards. From glitter to dolls, old photos... wonderful experience
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September 2023 by Sabina S.
This place is super cool! We went to get sewing notions and left with a host of really cheap knick knacks. Highly recommend coming by here if you have any craft project or art that you're working on. We stopped here first to get what we could before heading to Joanns to get the remaining things and honestly found a lot at the Waste shed. Will be coming back for sure especially for fabric!
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July 2023 by Emily Diaz
i love this place! they gave me a mask when i forgot mine. very kind staff that is friendly and lgbtq welcoming , and good prices for the items. i come here for beads and theyre very cheap- some for 10 cents and a quarter! definitely will be back
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May 2023 by Jordan Schock
The wasteshed is a lovely secondhand art supply store! Everyone there is knowledgeable and kind. They have fabric and sewing patterns and yarn and knitting needles and colored pencils. It’s pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation. Be prepared to spend a lot of time going through everything, and bring a mask!
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April 2023 by Audra M.
My review is for the new location at 1754 N Kimball. I am mad at myself for not checking out The Wasteshed way sooner than I did. My craft of choice is scrapbooking, and I doubted they would have much in the line of scrapbooking. I was so wrong. They have amazing vintage buttons, paper packs, loose paper, embellishments and stickers. Oh, the fun I had adding to my stash, and spending only around $21. Scrapbookers, keep in mind that if you see a paper pack kit, there could be items missing from it. These items are donated, so this means a kit that looks complete might not be. I was not bothered by this due to the price. Not everything is priced, which is usually something that bothers me, but I got the impression that the staff would gladly work it out. Though they were busy, a nice gentleman priced a couple of the paper kits for me when I was really on the fence about just bringing them to the register, unpriced. He seemed to sense my tension about asking for price, so he went and got his price gun and swiftly took care of business! I wish I had caught his name because he was the best. We went on the date of their grand opening for the new Chicago location on Kimball. It was busy, but so fun. I can hardly wait to go back to browse. The staff there is very kind and helpful, and I look forward to going back when the store is less crowded. Anyone with a creative bone will love this place. Also, they have loose colored pencils for a dime each, which is so nice because sometimes it's just one color someone favors, such as the client I work for. He is autistic, and he uses just a few colors of a colored pencil box. I love that I was able to add to his stash for such little money. I'd been looking for silver colored pencils for him online, but I was deterred by the cost to get them shipped. Thanks Wasteshed for being such a great resource for people who favor crafting on a budget!
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February 2023 by Julie S.
THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE EVANSTON LOCATIONI'm a teacher and this place is gold! I did a quick google search for thrift stores in my new community and this place turned up. I kept meaning to check it out and as soon as I walked in I started kicking myself why I waited so long! Super reasonable prices, extremely clean and organized in a logical way. Amazingly friendly folks and really cool vibe. I admitted to an employee I was just parusing as my bank account was hacked, so I had no money- but as a teacherI was really curious. She got super excited and led me to a large section of the store taped off and marked "free for educators"... Like, seriously?!?! We talked a good bit and exchanged ideas for art projects (BONUS!) I just grabbed a few things bc I didn't want to just take things without paying for ANYthing... and grabbed all the change in my car and ran back in to put it in the donation can. Going back as soon as I can. They're a nonprofit which works to end waste in landfills. Go there! NOW!*masks are still required. They do have some just in case*
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January 2023 by Ella Kramer
Amazing deals, a great selection of items, and friendly staff!! If you're looking for cute cards for any event, including April fool's day, I recommend checking this place out
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December 2022 by Cari Garafalo
Been going since their previous location years ago. ? The staff is always so kind and helpful, and the concept rocks! Oh! And there's a gallery of donated artwork in the bathroom ? hehe, love it. Also, I can't thank them enough for keeping the masks going, because I have an immunocompromised toddler and can't afford a sitter, so many other places are now out of my reach. ?
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December 2022 by Dita Ve
Just went for the first time 10mins before closing. They were very nice and had a bunch of different goodies and art supplies. We want to go again for sure for markers and stamps! We spent about $10 for everything (1 wooden basket, some pens, stamps, ink, erasers :-)
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December 2022 by Emily Piff
This place is an artists dream! Perfect for teachers as well. They have so many art supplies, just browsing the store gives me a lot of ideas for projects.
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December 2022 by Lucia Mancini
The wasteshed is, hands down, my favorite retail location/experience in chicago. I have been a customer for many years, since they opened their first location, and it is consistently a magical experience to enter and comb through the wealth of secondhand art materials, all of which are always fairly priced (clearly a good amount of time is spent sorting and assessing value for lightly-heavily used items), eclectic (from textiles to printmaking to paint to scrapbooking and more), and staff is always friendly, welcoming, and also obviously super cool. You might find a vintage speedball linocut set, or a set of Pokémon stickers from the original 1998 US release, or a pristine 70’s block-printed tablecloth, or just the exact shade of prismacolor brush tip you’ve been looking for, lightly used, for 50 cents. There are usually some free materials available for teachers which is awesome, small exhibits of the work of local artists, and over the years, an eclectic variety of events hosted in the evenings. Comparable used art supply centers I have visited are the Indigo Hippo in Cincinnati and the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse in Oakland. Every city should be so lucky as to have a WasteShed- it’s truly a gem.
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December 2022 by Renee Prisble
Do not cull your art supplies accumulated over years working at a major art supplier, wait until your chronic illness gives you a break, and drive all the way here to make a donation ON THE WEEKEND. They will tell you there isn't room for canvases and portfolios, it'll be super uncomfortable and you'll feel pretty bad when you leave.
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December 2022 by Miguel Alvarez (Angel)
This was an amazing find for me. Tons and tons of gently used craft supplies. They have great prices. The service is great. If I ever need something in particular I can shoot them a message and ask if they have it instead of paying full price at the store. Very helpful people.
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December 2022 by Liz Sullivan
Incredible variety of gently used art supplies. The store is well-organized and the staff is friendly and helpful. I’ve found all sorts of fun crafty and art supplies: 11 matching glass bottles, high quality oil paints, vintage sewing patterns, woven leather buttons, etc. Always worth a visit!
