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.
in Surrey to take part. A gardener by trade, he enjoys making friends over a shared passion, and is happy to support Bailey’s “beautiful dream” of a community built around bonsai.
By paying close attention to your tree, it will tell you what it needs, they say. Horticultural knowledge is garnered along the way as you learn what keeps your tree alive and well.
“I think there are impacts on the representative and on the communities,” said Elliott. “It’s challenging when it might not be close to their home. [West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast–Sea to Sky Country] from Pemberton to Sechelt – that puts the onus on the representative to get to know and understand communities that may have very different interests. The impact on those being representative is getting your voice heard can be difficult if traveling is required to be heard. A riding like North Vancou
Despite the discomfort of change, Canadians can feel protected by the process of electoral boundaries, she said. The process is independent from politicians and happens regularly and with a rigorously defined process. 
Zandieh was passionate about loving Lynn Valley, even before the bakery opened. She and her husband would come to Lynn Valley frequently to enjoy the nature and beauty that is our community. When they found the location for the bakery, it was easy to make the decision to open here. And now, after a few years, they are also able to call Lynn Valley home, living in a condo not far from where their business.
This made all the difference and enabled them to do the work they needed on the bakery in order to open – from electrical to plumbing – and start selling their baked goods, said Zandieh.
If you’ve ever picked up 
Grierson also talks about how we approach our actions: anticipating, doing, and reflecting. Most of us spend our time simply “doing” without reflecting. Without reflection, our experiences don’t turn into lasting memories. According to Grierson, if you didn’t “write” the story—either literally or in your mind—you wouldn’t remember it. The story is what makes an experience memorable, turning ordinary moments into lasting memories.
Ideas for a One Big Day in Lynn Valley
“Rosie and I both really love the outdoors and see so many benefits for children in being in nature,” Borthwick says. “Nature is incredibly regulating and restorative, and we’ve seen this first-hand with our own children. We have both been OTs for many years, but learned more about pediatric nature-based OT in recent years and felt so drawn to it.
“We might be cooking over a camp stove, going on a scavenger hunt, doing an art activity, or playing collaborative games—all the while keeping in mind during the planning and throughout the sessions what each child’s goal is,” Borthwick says. “We also commonly integrate some content from a self-regulation or emotional regulation curriculum we are both certified in.[We also] communicate the information to the families so they can continue to support their child at home. Every activity is purposeful, but the kids just experience a fun morning outside. We want the children to enjoy being in our group and want to come back week after week.”
Argyle Secondary School choir teacher Will Clements has teamed up with St. Clement’s Anglican Church, BC Choral Federation vice-president Kevin Zakresky, and Universal Gospel Choir director Lonnie Delisle to plan a day of choral collaboration for singers and listeners alike.
Romer’s Fresh Kitchen and Bar and LynnValleyLife want to acknowledge more AOK Good Deeds with Good Eats in the months to come. Nominate anyone who lives or works in Lynn Valley 
“I started with snowboard tricks,” said Janko. “I would practice the trick, then set up the composition of the photo with a wireless remote in my hand. It’s tough to get a nice photo by freezing a fraction of a moment. Something small like the body or arm position might not be right. It can take a lot of tries to get satisfied to match the image I have in my head.”
