Upcycle Tuesday – Meet Sharie Renee

I have been following a number of blogs that have something kitchy like Thankful Thursday, or Photo Friday…. well I want to introduce Upcycle Tuesday.

Upcycle Tuesday will be a regular weekly feature that looks at the Upcycle works of various Clevelanders who are turning what would once have gone into the landfill into new useful, functional items.

Meet Sharie Renee and Cosmic Bobbins

I first became aware of Sharie Renee and her beautiful upcycled magazine and print media handbags when we were both vendors at a pop up shop called Collective Upcycle, the brain child of Nicole McGee.  Intrigued by the beauty of print media that would have otherwise gone to a land fill, Sharie crafts strong and functional handbags of many sizes.  Sharie has a passion for her art, a strong sense of fashion, of merchandising, and of shopkeeping.

Sharie is the founder and owner of Cosmic Bobbins, the business that sprung from her passion to repurpose corporate paper waste.  Sharie writes about her company:

Cosmic Bobbins is a lifestyles brand fashioned at the crossroads of business and social good. Through a ground floor recycling initiative, Cosmic Bobbins upcycles materials that might otherwise be considered waste and turns them into one-of-a-kind accessories, while creating meaningful, fair-trade employment in underserved populations.

Vision 
We are committed to creating a global community where sustainability, upcycling and social good become a lifestyle, where people are meaningfully employed and our core essence is a spirit of hope.

Core Values 
1. Sustainability – by employing business practices that build and strengthen the environmental, economic and social fabrics of our local and global communities.

2. Innovation – by harnessing our imaginative spirit to create bold and dynamic products and processes which benefit our consumers and producers.

3. Quality and Refined Design – by our commitment to create sophisticated one of kind products through superior execution with an eye for detail.

4. Touching Lives – by empowering and valuing others through unique business practices to be the change they want to see in the world.

5. Cosmic Partnerships – by fostering meaningful, energizing relationships that are open to magical opportunities of collaboration and connection.

Her handbags are so unique and a fashion statement that remind me of those old days as kids when we saved our gum wrappers, and made long chains of folded paper wrappers.  They are well crafted, and sturdy as well.  She creates her handbags in a variety of styles and sizes and I am quite certain there is one just right for you.

Sharie also has a passion for beautiful machine embroidery, as is evidenced by a quarter of her store that is set up as her embroidery studio.  The work is beautiful, from simple initials on pashmina scarves, to complex floral embroidery on jeans, amazing is the only word that fits. She has been working at her talent for years, honed with precision and expertise.

And Sharie has been featured in a number of local Cleveland publications for her business.  Search the web and you will find that she was picked up by Cool Cleveland, Freshwater Cleveland, 

As a shopkeeper Sharie has a wonderful sense of style, and keeps her shops fresh and exciting.  I was privileged to be a vendor partner in her first pop up shop two years ago, and eagerly ran back when she popped up again at Shaker Square this past fall.  We were so delighted she decided to remain in that location as a permanent shop.  Shaker Square offers an old world charm, and a unique pedestrian shopping location close to the rapid line.

Stylized windows only hint at the wonderful things inside the former Shaker Beverage Shop.  Another amazing feature is the beautiful built in shelving, custom built for a wine shop, to resemble wine casts.  The woodwork is delightful, and a great setting to bring the amazing goods she carries in her shop.  An odd Triangular Shop Space with large amounts of windows, this shop has charm that is only heightened by the many sophisticated touches Sharie brings.  Nothing says sparkle more

One of Cosmic Bobbins amazing windows. Yes, i think the dressing stand was even upcycled!

than a disco ball, glittering glimmers of light throughout the shop.  Windows that are seasonally windsome invitations to come inside, and a large collection of local artists and crafts people offering some of the most unique goods in town.  From customized local screen printed t shirts to dog treats that were homemade, Upcycled upholstery fabric purses, to our very own handcrafted soaps and Reblooming bags, the store offers so much.   If you have not visited Cosmic Bobbins, by all means stop out and meet this amazing and talented woman, and shop the locally sourced goodness.

13226 Shaker Square, Cleveland, Ohio 44120.