Donation Guidelines

Creative Chaos Emporium accepts donations of

clean, usable, arts & crafts supplies.

Since we opened (January 2026) we have collected over 14,000 pounds of arts & crafts items!

We accept donations during the first two weeks of each month (to allow time to sort & organize!).

  • You may bring up to 2 bags/boxes anytime we’re open during the 1st - 15th of each month (Wed-Fri 12-6, Sat/Sun 10-4), no appointment needed.

  • If you have a larger donation (3+ boxes/bags), please schedule a drop-off time (so we can be sure we have someone available to receive your items!)

Please review the current guidelines for what we can accept below. Thank you!

yes, please!

  • Arts & Crafts Supplies

    • Paints (oil, acrylic, watercolor, etc - new or lightly used)

    • Paint brushes, pencils, colored pencils, working markers, working pens, crayons

    • Empty sketch books & journals, blank canvases, paper in good condition, easels

    • Scrapbooking paper & supplies; stamps, ink pads, paper punches, stickers, calligraphy supplies, blank cards + envelopes

    • Crafting materials: tape, glue/adhesives, working scissors, rulers, bookbinding supplies, craft kits (complete or otherwise)

    • Beads, jewelry-making supplies & tools

    • Printmaking & screen printing tools/supplies

    • Sculpting & other art tools

    • Arts & crafts-related books & magazines

    • Office & school supplies (but no binders or printed letterhead, please!)

    • Little crafty items - pipe cleaners, pompoms, googly eyes, rhinestones, sequins, buttons, small tiles (under 1”), etc

  • Fibers & Fabric

    • Fabric: clean, usable & odor/stain-free; ideally at least ¼ yard

    • Yarn: only tidy skeins or balls please!

    • Sewing items: thread, sewing needles, notions, pins, zippers, buttons, trim, ribbon, elastic, closures, velcro, bobbins, bias tape, fabric dye/paint, working sewing machines/sergers, etc

    • Needlework supplies: embroidery floss & hoops, other tools & supplies for sewing/needlework, cross-stitch, etc

    • Knitting, crochet, tatting, felting, spinning & weaving tools & supplies

    • “Unfinished business” - small, partially completed projects

  • Upcycling Stuff

    • Paper bags with handles (all sizes, but paper grocery bags with handles are the most helpful!)

    • Small, interesting items for upcycling: metal springs, wine corks, tiny boxes, old CDs without cases, board game pieces, dice, marbles, small interesting bits (as long as they aren’t sharp/unsafe!)

    • (Please note - we are currently at capacity for the following upcycling items: empty paper towel rolls, empty toilet paper rolls, cardboard mailing tubes, egg cartons, clean bottlecaps, unused chopsticks)

  • Other Interesting, Unusual & Vintage Items

    • Small vintage items: toys (especially animals, cars, action figures, dolls, wooden blocks, legos, wind-up toys), miniatures (dollhouse furniture/accessories), marbles, trophies, trinkets, shells, seaglass

    • Vintage ephemera: old photographs, postcards, slides, filmstrips, cigar boxes, vintage maps, vintage sewing notions/art supplies with interesting packaging. Used greeting cards are ok as long as they are from the 1980’s or earlier.

    • Costume jewelry (whole &/or broken)

    • Frames: Wooden & metal picture frames (with glass & backings)

    • Wooden crates/boxes, wicker baskets in good condition, vintage tin containers

    • Terracotta or crockery/ceramic flower pots (no plastic please)

    • Small lamps and lampshades

      If you have something else we haven’t thought of, please reach out to us (hello@creativechaosemporium.com)!

Please double-check donations to make sure they are CLEAN & functional, and that they don’t include items we’re unable to accept (see below).

Bonus points for organizing by type - thanks for your help!

no, thank you

For the safety of our staff & patrons, please do not donate items that are smelly, moldy, mildewy, damaged, hazardous or illegal.

We* are also unable to acccept :

  • Wrapping paper, plastic ribbon

  • Artificial flowers

  • Sheets of glass

  • Plastic/styrofoam plates/utensils

  • Packing material (Bubble wrap, used packing air cushions, etc)

  • Construction materials (household paint, insulation, etc)

  • Books (other than how-to or arts/crafts related)

  • Weapons

  • Pill bottles, medical supplies 

  • Cleaning supplies

  • Plastic food containers

  • Cosmetics/hygiene supplies

  • Clothing, shoes

  • Large toys or stuffed animals 

  • Furniture, large appliances/electronics

  • We accept donations during the first two weeks of each month in order to have time and space to sort/organize items properly.

  • If you have one or two bags/boxes of items to donate, you may drop them off during open hours in the first half of the month (1st-15th, Wed-Fri 12-6, Sat/Sun 10-4)

  • If you have more than two full bags/boxes of items to donate, please schedule a drop-off time at least one day ahead to make sure we can accommodate your donation.

  • Please do not leave donations outside of the store if we’re not open!

    • Your donations are valuable and if they get damaged by rain, wind or neighborhood critters they’ll have to be thrown away instead of repurposed :(.

HOW TO DONATE

to Creative Chaos Emporium:

* If you have good, usable stuff that we can’t take, other local organizations may be able to help!

donate to local organizations

any questions

about donations?

If you have a question that wasn’t answered above, please feel free to contact us at hello@creativechaosemporium.com.