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By Tina Homsy Williams, guest contributor

Tom Riessner is passionate about zero waste and dislikes throwing things away. One of his biggest peeves is seeing quality items sent to the dump simply for being old, outgrown, or no longer in excellent condition. 

Urban Repurpose

This is especially true for items that are still usable but are discarded because they are no longer wanted, needed, or show signs of wear and tear. They are not necessarily “garbage”—many people simply don’t know what else to do with them, he says.

As the founder and executive director of Urban Repurpose, a social enterprise store, Riessner is on a mission to redefine waste—not as an end, but as the beginning of something new. For him, every discarded item holds untapped potential, waiting to be repurposed, restored, or reimagined. 

This is a key driver for Urban Repurpose.

Unlike charity thrift stores that sell goods to fundraise, Urban Repurpose’s principal goal is zero waste focusing on upcycling, reinvention and reuse. Moreover, items that don’t sell aren’t sent to the landfill; instead, they’re given away on “Free Sundays,” ensuring they find new uses rather than being tossed out.

Urban Repurpose is about more than just keeping items out of landfills—it’s about giving them a second life.

“There’s value in rescuing items from being incinerated and restoring or repurposing them for renewed use. I encourage people in the community to do the same,”  says Riessner at the Urban Repurpose storefront.

Located down the hill from Lynn Valley, the store offers a unique shopping experience, with carefully curated rooms designed for exploration. Each has a theme, where a cornucopia of items are grouped and staged in vignettes by volunteers: A music and media room, with an eclectic collection of compact disks, vinyl records, instruments and other media is decorated with items including a chandelier crafted from several salvaged violins—no longer playable, yet too beautiful to throw away.

One room, lined with shelves of books and antique chairs, feels more like a forgotten old bookstore—remember those?—or a hidden alcove perfect for a quiet retreat with a good read.

Elsewhere in the store, stacks of vintage, antique, and heritage furniture—”all wood and never particleboard,” Riessner insists—stand alongside household items waiting for a second life. As we walk through the space, his deep knowledge of art and history becomes evident in the most unpretentious way.

“We have antiques and even artwork from 1800s-era Europe. We also acquired the totems from the Alice Hotel as part of the Phil Newton Estate,” he shares.

His enthusiasm grows as he talks about how these treasures were saved from the landfill. But his passion isn’t just for high-value antiques—he finds the same satisfaction in rescuing everyday items that might not fetch top dollar at an auction but still have plenty of life left.

“We found multiple $1,000 Miele vacuums and were able to use parts from one to repair the others,” he says proudly.

Creativity & ingenuity in repurposing

Discovering antiques, collectibles, and high-value items is only one part of Urban Repurpose’s mission. The organization also focuses on adding value to everyday objects that require a little ingenuity, elbow grease, or repairs to be useful again. 

“We’ve salvaged everything from used construction materials and furniture to swaths of lace and collectible vintage dolls from an antique dealer downsizing during the pandemic,” Riessner says.

Riessner’s passion for restoration extends to tools and household items.

“Many of the tools we use to repair and restore items are from the North Shore Recycling & Waste Centre. We’ve found and fixed several power tools, scrapped simply because they needed new batteries or minor repairs.”

He also frequently rescues cast iron pans–including one antique dating back to the 1800s–restoring them with time and effort so they can last for generations.

Education and Inspiration

Riessner believes that repurposing should extend beyond the store. He wants to empower people with the skills to restore and reuse items themselves. Urban Repurpose hopes to scale operations by offering free classes that teach people how to fix and repair items they own or acquire.

“I’d love to give people the space and confidence to do this themselves,” he says. However, one challenge is finding enough skilled individuals to teach these workshops.

His passion for resourcefulness is deeply rooted in his upbringing. His mother sewed clothes for him and his siblings, while his father, a civil engineer, loved to tinker.

“One summer, my father amazed all my friends by fashioning an electromagnetic lock for our garage door out of old washing machine components,” Riessner recalls. That same spirit of creativity and ingenuity fuels his work today.

“You inspire people through art,” he says while showing a piece of wall art made from dismantled clock components. One of the many creative art projects reimagined from cast offs.

For Riessner, waste isn’t an end—it’s an opportunity for renewal, creativity, and community connection.

Visiting the Urban Repurpose storefront shows that with a little effort and some imagination, nearly anything can be rescued from landfill purgatory and given a second life.

Looking for more?

There’s always something fun and exciting happening in Lynn Valley. Check out our Community Events Calendar or learn more about Local Activities, Mountain Biking or Hiking and Walking Trails.