What is your name? My name is Christine and my business partner is Sandy.
Where are you from? We both live in the Groveport Madison school district area.
What is the name of your business? Our business is Elegant Upcycle
What do you make or sell? We don’t make our products but they are all handmade. Our primary products are purses and other accessories that are made out of textiles saved from the landfill like carpet, hide, leather and canvas. Our newest product line is mittens made from thrift store sweaters.
Do you do this full-time or as a side hustle? Side hustle all the way!
Do you have another job? What is it if so? Yes! I am the Business Partnership Coordinator at Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools. Sandy is a medical billing specialist.
How did you come up with your business name? Sandy and I developed a passion for upcycled items that we could sell. There is a difference between upcycled and recycled. Our purses and other products are upcycled and we feel that our product lines are “elegant”, thus Elegant Upcycle was born in early 2021.
What is the difference between Upcycled and Recycled?
The terms ‘recycled’ and ‘upcycled’ are often used interchangeably, but there is a big difference between the two. Recycling generally refers to the process of breaking down materials so that they can be turned into new products. For example, recycling paper involves breaking it down into pulp so that it can be made into new sheets of paper. Upcycling, on the other hand, refers to the process of using waste materials to create new products without having to break them down first. A good example of upcycling is repurposing an old shoe box into a storage container. Because upcycling doesn’t require breaking down materials, it’s often seen as a more sustainable option than recycling.
What got you started doing this? The beauty of the product and the company philosophy behind the work that they do to be environmentally conscience inspired us to start selling their purses. BUT, where we first heard of this was on an online liquidation company that Sandy and I tuned in to every Mon, Wed, and Fri and they had this product line in their inventory.
What is your creative process like? We can creatively start a company, but we aren’t creative on the product unless you talk to Sandy who wants to make our products, but me, not so much!
Do you have a website? No! We can’t keep up with those shenanigans! Our products are unique and one-of-a-kind so that would be more than we can keep up with!
How about instagram and facebook? Facebook
