We’ve all broken things by accident before, whether it’s an old lamp knocked off a table or a glass dish cracked when washing. Normally, such items would be thrown away after they had been broken beyond usefulness. But Tiffany Nation and her sister Tabitha Gentry want to show you that there’s another option.
The Hixson residents offer classes that teach anyone how to repurpose broken or damaged goods to breathe new life into them via a new use or as decorative art. They said their business, Learning2Green, was born out of a desire to clean up the environment and help others learn how, too. If they can save some money and resources along the way, they added, all the better.
“Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of things, so we had to learn to reuse as much as we could,” said Nation. “We want to help folks get in to the mindset of, instead of buying new things, asking, ‘What do I already have that I can give new life to?'”
Nation said they are currently working on acquiring a permanent physical location, following their opening in the beginning of May. They’ve been holding their classes at local craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michaels, as well as special events at places like Alexian Village on Signal Mountain.
The classes are a few hours in length, and Nation provides the materials for each class, she said. Once they have a permanent location, she added, they’ll be able to sell some of their own homemade goods.