Oromocto resident Lydia Ferguson is no stranger to high craft supply costs — she’s a life-long crafter. “Any artist or crafter will know that it’s expensive to make things,” she said. “You spend more money buying the fabric than you would have if you just bought something new,” she added. That’s why on Sept. 19, she’ll be opening a craft supply re-use centre, The Crafty Raccoon, designed to make crafting hobbies a little more affordable. Her store will also help creators who don’t want to buy in bulk for their project. “There’s just not a lot of good options to get things for smaller quantities and better pricing,” she said. The shop works through donation — meaning locals can go to the shop to empty their craft closets. For Carolyn Hollis, an Amherst N.S. based crafter, a shop like Ferguson’s would come in handy. “I tend to buy a lot of things and then you use part of them and the rest is left over,” she said. While local resident Julia LaPointe is noticing the high cost to purchase crafting items. “Craft supplies are definitely a lot more expensive than they probably used to be,” she said. Alongside affordability, Ferguson wants the shop to spark locals’ imaginations. “I’m also hoping that it kind of brings a little bit more creativity back into the community, because I know with AI and all the technology and stuff now, we kind of lose a bit of our creativity,” she said. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
