VoyageMichigan
AUGUST 31, 2022
Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Slorf.
Hi Melissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My husband and I started our re-purposing and custom home furnishings business in 2019. We had always had the passion to re-finish old pieces of furniture or turn them into something else completely. Married young and a baby right away we learned how to make hand-me-downs work. We have always lived in older homes and we see potential not only in things but in people. We had a desire to make our business into a “freedom” business where we can help others who need a second chance, just a hand up, or barriers to a traditional 9-5 job. We met Jenny Forner who owns The Red Door in Allendale, and heard about what she and her daughter were doing in Anchorage, AK. We knew this was something we wanted to be a part of. This is a snippet of what a re:MADE store is:
The vision of a “re:MADE” store is Doing Life. Better Together. By offering entrepreneurs, artists, and volunteers a retail location to work together remaking items that are donated, and reselling good quality items at affordable prices. A re:MADE store empowers people to reach their dreams through positive life changes, educating and walking alongside each uniquely through relationships, restoring confidence, building support systems, and helping them find and grow their talents and skills.
Volunteers make repurposed items and sell good-quality used clothing, furniture, and household items at affordable prices. This permits items that usually would be sent to the landfill to be resold. In the process of working together, relationships will be built, and lives are being changed. The re:MADE store provides support, training, and job development for people who desire to grow or start a business, are going through a hard time, or are making a life change.
The re:MADE store collaborates with nonprofits, community organizations, and businesses to bring work groups & volunteers together, gather resources, and utilize available means to bring more to each participate.
During the pandemic, we flew to Alaska and spent some time at the re:MADE store in Anchorage. We knew we wanted to take this back to West Michigan and start one there. So, through a series of blessings and miracles (all during a pandemic!), we got the use of a building for free in Grand Haven, and the rest has just fallen into place. It takes a community to make this store run. Our creative director Tammy Groenenveld has been with us since the beginning. She is responsible (the picture of us in front of the store the day we got the keys! =) for finding our building. We all work together, and I couldn’t do this without my team. We are a chain of three stores across the country. We are in Anchorage, AK, Cape Coral, FL, and Grand Haven, MI. We have been in Grand Haven now for a year and a half. We have 10 active entrepreneurs and 7 monthly supporters of our store. We have already made an impact in our local economy and built a following where people in the community regularly check in with us for furniture needs, home decor, and unique gifts. The benefit to our customers is our mission. Because our overhead is so low, we are able to sell things at an affordable price. This is another way we benefit our community. It’s all a circle of recycling items and our money back into the local economy.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Yes, we have had our share! Simply trying to start something like this during a pandemic has proved challenging for sure. Let alone starting something so different and new. Our franchise is less than 10 years old! We would not have made it (and continue to make it!) had it not been for the faith and support of generous people in our community that wanted to see this flourish. The donated use of our building was a game changer. That was a huge cost that we didn’t have for over a year! It was challenging to get people together to see our vision and fundraise with covid restrictions. But a little creativity and being flexible (and a lot of prayers!), we pulled it off! Being a non-profit business is what makes us unique. Our entrepreneurs and makers don’t have the overhead costs and risks that being on your own bring. We support each other, and everyone volunteers their time to run the store. Navigating through that time was tricky. Sometimes we didn’t have people to run the store every day and had to wait until the covid numbers were down to open completely to the public. Once things calmed down over the Spring of 2021, we have continually added new makers, entrepreneurs, and volunteers.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work with re:MADE has simply been my dream job. I started college to pursue a degree in human service but never finished. This has married my passion for creativity and allowed me to help people like I have always wanted to. It is an innovative and a refreshing look to non-profits that support and inspire people in our community. Now more than ever, it is critical to support businesses, artists, creatives, and makers locally. The small businesses are the backbone of America as the people who own them. We are seeing dreams of our entrepreneurs come true. Whether big or small, they make a difference in the quality of life of those we work and live with. Some of our entrepreneurs just want to have community, some have big dreams, and some just want to have a side hustle to supplement their income.
We are currently working with an organization that supports survivors of human sex trafficking. We are supporting these women in starting a business making jewelry out of re-purposed products. Our hope is to provide more opportunities like this to other non-profits in our community that help better the lives of our neighbors. When we have successful, thriving neighbors, we have better communities. When we have better communities, we have a thriving world to live in.
re:MADE means different things to everyone. For some, our mission to keep things from the landfill is their jam. For others, it’s the community with other creatives. It’s all about “doing life better together.” However, that looks, it’s loving our people well. That’s what makes our store so special. Our customers are just as much a part of our story. We wouldn’t be here without them. Our regulars that come in are cheering us on and supporting us first before they shop somewhere else. When people come into our store for the first time, and we give them some information on what we are, the response is always, ” This is such a cool idea!” or “I know someone who would love to be a part of this!”. That is what makes us smile; it’s a place where we can all support the same thing, each other.
My favorite quote is by Mother Theresa ” If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” My family has extended outside the walls of my home and has spilled out to the people I interact with every day. Now for me, it’s more like “Go to your hometown and love your neighbors.” We make a difference in the lives of people we see every day. That’s how you change the world. One life at a time.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We are always looking for creatives and entrepreneurs in the west Michigan area. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a part of our store or if you just want a place to volunteer, give us a call! If you’re interested in supporting us financially or donating items to the store, all donations are tax-deductible. We offer creative workshops and events, so follow us on social and sign up for our newsletter to receive notifications.
AUGUST 31, 2022
Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Slorf.
Hi Melissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My husband and I started our re-purposing and custom home furnishings business in 2019. We had always had the passion to re-finish old pieces of furniture or turn them into something else completely. Married young and a baby right away we learned how to make hand-me-downs work. We have always lived in older homes and we see potential not only in things but in people. We had a desire to make our business into a “freedom” business where we can help others who need a second chance, just a hand up, or barriers to a traditional 9-5 job. We met Jenny Forner who owns The Red Door in Allendale, and heard about what she and her daughter were doing in Anchorage, AK. We knew this was something we wanted to be a part of. This is a snippet of what a re:MADE store is:
The vision of a “re:MADE” store is Doing Life. Better Together. By offering entrepreneurs, artists, and volunteers a retail location to work together remaking items that are donated, and reselling good quality items at affordable prices. A re:MADE store empowers people to reach their dreams through positive life changes, educating and walking alongside each uniquely through relationships, restoring confidence, building support systems, and helping them find and grow their talents and skills.
Volunteers make repurposed items and sell good-quality used clothing, furniture, and household items at affordable prices. This permits items that usually would be sent to the landfill to be resold. In the process of working together, relationships will be built, and lives are being changed. The re:MADE store provides support, training, and job development for people who desire to grow or start a business, are going through a hard time, or are making a life change.
The re:MADE store collaborates with nonprofits, community organizations, and businesses to bring work groups & volunteers together, gather resources, and utilize available means to bring more to each participate.
During the pandemic, we flew to Alaska and spent some time at the re:MADE store in Anchorage. We knew we wanted to take this back to West Michigan and start one there. So, through a series of blessings and miracles (all during a pandemic!), we got the use of a building for free in Grand Haven, and the rest has just fallen into place. It takes a community to make this store run. Our creative director Tammy Groenenveld has been with us since the beginning. She is responsible (the picture of us in front of the store the day we got the keys! =) for finding our building. We all work together, and I couldn’t do this without my team. We are a chain of three stores across the country. We are in Anchorage, AK, Cape Coral, FL, and Grand Haven, MI. We have been in Grand Haven now for a year and a half. We have 10 active entrepreneurs and 7 monthly supporters of our store. We have already made an impact in our local economy and built a following where people in the community regularly check in with us for furniture needs, home decor, and unique gifts. The benefit to our customers is our mission. Because our overhead is so low, we are able to sell things at an affordable price. This is another way we benefit our community. It’s all a circle of recycling items and our money back into the local economy.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Yes, we have had our share! Simply trying to start something like this during a pandemic has proved challenging for sure. Let alone starting something so different and new. Our franchise is less than 10 years old! We would not have made it (and continue to make it!) had it not been for the faith and support of generous people in our community that wanted to see this flourish. The donated use of our building was a game changer. That was a huge cost that we didn’t have for over a year! It was challenging to get people together to see our vision and fundraise with covid restrictions. But a little creativity and being flexible (and a lot of prayers!), we pulled it off! Being a non-profit business is what makes us unique. Our entrepreneurs and makers don’t have the overhead costs and risks that being on your own bring. We support each other, and everyone volunteers their time to run the store. Navigating through that time was tricky. Sometimes we didn’t have people to run the store every day and had to wait until the covid numbers were down to open completely to the public. Once things calmed down over the Spring of 2021, we have continually added new makers, entrepreneurs, and volunteers.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work with re:MADE has simply been my dream job. I started college to pursue a degree in human service but never finished. This has married my passion for creativity and allowed me to help people like I have always wanted to. It is an innovative and a refreshing look to non-profits that support and inspire people in our community. Now more than ever, it is critical to support businesses, artists, creatives, and makers locally. The small businesses are the backbone of America as the people who own them. We are seeing dreams of our entrepreneurs come true. Whether big or small, they make a difference in the quality of life of those we work and live with. Some of our entrepreneurs just want to have community, some have big dreams, and some just want to have a side hustle to supplement their income.
We are currently working with an organization that supports survivors of human sex trafficking. We are supporting these women in starting a business making jewelry out of re-purposed products. Our hope is to provide more opportunities like this to other non-profits in our community that help better the lives of our neighbors. When we have successful, thriving neighbors, we have better communities. When we have better communities, we have a thriving world to live in.
re:MADE means different things to everyone. For some, our mission to keep things from the landfill is their jam. For others, it’s the community with other creatives. It’s all about “doing life better together.” However, that looks, it’s loving our people well. That’s what makes our store so special. Our customers are just as much a part of our story. We wouldn’t be here without them. Our regulars that come in are cheering us on and supporting us first before they shop somewhere else. When people come into our store for the first time, and we give them some information on what we are, the response is always, ” This is such a cool idea!” or “I know someone who would love to be a part of this!”. That is what makes us smile; it’s a place where we can all support the same thing, each other.
My favorite quote is by Mother Theresa ” If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” My family has extended outside the walls of my home and has spilled out to the people I interact with every day. Now for me, it’s more like “Go to your hometown and love your neighbors.” We make a difference in the lives of people we see every day. That’s how you change the world. One life at a time.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We are always looking for creatives and entrepreneurs in the west Michigan area. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a part of our store or if you just want a place to volunteer, give us a call! If you’re interested in supporting us financially or donating items to the store, all donations are tax-deductible. We offer creative workshops and events, so follow us on social and sign up for our newsletter to receive notifications.
