Reduex

By Lisa Howard

Turning Ugly Ducklings Into Swans

THINKING OF KICKING SOMETHING TO THE CURB? DON’T! AT LEAST, NOT IF IT’S FURNITURE OR A HOME DÉCOR ITEM. “EVEN RUSTY BROKEN THINGS CAN HAVE A NEW LIFE,” SAYS CHERRY KERR-VOLZ, OWNER OF REDUEX.

“Folks can text me photos of their broken things and discards. I always love a curb alert!” Not only is keeping still-useful items out of land-fills good for the environment, it’s good for the pocketbook and good for fostering creativity. “You can take a piece of furniture that looks outdat-ed or like it’s in complete disrepair and make it pretty again,” Cherry advises. “Or you can strip it for parts and make other things out of it. Take a small dresser: the top can become a charcuterie board, the sides can become fun signs, and the drawers can become shelves.”

A former wedding photographer, Cherry had long been re-purposing furniture and other items into props for her studio. It made sense to sell those items to make room for old-turned-new props. And when her photography business was shuttered overnight due to the pandemic, it made sense to open a retail shop dedicated to restyled, vintage and homemade items – after all, people are more enthusiastic than ever about creating their dream homes. She was out on an “attitude adjustment run” one day, she says, when she saw that an antique store on 12 Mile was closing. She snagged the space and opened Reduex in June of 2022.

EVERYTHING IN HER STORE IS EITHER UPCYCLED OR RECYCLED except for her soap and candle products, which are made by a soap maker in Oxford. And Cherry will be installing a card kiosk that will allow people to choose from over 14,000 designs to make their own cards that they can then customize with messages, photos and selfies. The envelopes will be recycled and the cards will be on new stock, but because it will be on-demand printing, no paper will be wasted.

She’ll also be offering a line of DIY project kits like clay-based chalk furniture paint, stencils and even rub-on transfers, and she’ll be hosting workshops on how to gussy up furniture. So don’t scrap it – save it!