New CRAFT Thrift Store
supports educators
Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
A veteran of early childhood education has switched careers but is still holding true to her passion for education. In mid-November, Angela Kapp opened CRAFT Thrift Store in the former Mattress Liquidator space at 1253 S. Robert St. The name stands for Creating Resources and Funding for Teachers and the space is already brimming with toys, clothes, furniture, décor, movies, records and much more. Each month a portion of proceeds will support an aspiring teacher seeking a child development associate (CDA) certificate.
Kapp is a former CDA specialist, accreditation assessor for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and director, manager and owner of several childcare centers in the metro area. In addition to opening CRAFT, she owns Edulink, which trains teachers in a wide variety of skills. She also works part-time as a coach for the Minnesota-based Center for Inclusive Child Care.
A year ago, she and her husband Keith transferred ownership of their childcare center, The Learning Garden in Maplewood, to their daughter Ashley and began seeking a home for CRAFT. Angela, an avid thrift
shopper, was inspired to shake up her career after 30 years of working with kids.
“Yet, my passion was still early childhood, so how could I mix the two?” she recalled wondering.
Fast-forward to August this year and she and her husband were signing the lease for the store location, which has enough square footage for displaying the retail goods and to create a room for upcycling and crafting.
They expect to build out the room by the end of January. Educators and do-it-yourself enthusiasts alike will be able to use it for repurposing items purchased onsite. Throughout her career, Kapp has seen cookie sheets made into magnet boards, storage bins become drums and bubble wrap transformed into paintbrushes. She said used or crafted items can be big hits with kids just for their novelty. Aside from toys, CRAFT will offer supplies to make classroom learning tools such as daily schedules with visual elements.
“A lot of teachers use their own funds to purchase materials because [childcare]centers are stretched thin,” she said. “I want them to think really hard about what would enhance their classroom and what would be best for the children in their care.”
In addition to providing a monthly scholarship to an aspiring teacher, CRAFT will highlight a teacher of the month and provide them with some free store credit. They also hope to eventually open some shelf space for local potters, quilters and other crafters in the community to sell their goods.
“Eventually we would like to support teachers to expand their classroom,” she added. “Maybe they want to add some more technology to their classroom, or they really want to increase social and emotional support and get some materials that support that, like books and posters and puppets.”
Angela is a Minnesota native and began working with children right out of high school as an intern for a childcare program at a homeless shelter. She has a bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University and a master’s from Concordia University in St. Paul.
Most of the products at CRAFT are sourced from storage auctions, although Kapp is looking into making the business a nonprofit so people are more encouraged to donate. She tests all electronic items to ensure they are working properly before putting them on the floor.
“We’ve really enjoyed our time out here in West St. Paul, and everybody who’s come in has been fabulous,” she said. “We already have some repeat customers…. I’ve had people come in that are helping the homeless that we’re going to partner with because we have a lot of extra blankets and hats and personal care items that might not sell. We’re also working with Dakota County to look at ways where we can partner for recycling. It just seems like there’s a lot of great opportunities to be part of the West St. Paul community.”
CRAFT is open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m., with hours expected to extend to 8 p.m. in the summer. For more information, or to apply for a scholarship or nominate a teacher, visit craftindustries.org.
