Empower people to transform themselves and their communities by providing a place to discover ways to transform discarded goods into objects of worth.
My introduction to Perennial came almost exactly one year ago when I stumbled across some of their first online media blasts about upholstery and furniture repair classes on Facebook. After poking around on their website filled with hand-drawn graphics and how-to videos, seeing some of the before and after shots and reading their mission, I was sold.
That summer I interned with Jenny and Perennial, working out of a basement filled with amazing alley finds that by August slowly began to take over our workspace. Despite the heat dealt out by St. Louis and the small workspace, I couldn’t have asked for a better summer. My days with Perennial were filled by scouring alleys, designing chairs and unique home goods (we still have a dog bed for sale!), researching and creating upcycled projects for community programming, learning the ins and outs of milk paint and expanding my knowledge of tools (you don’t push a pull saw, who knew). While this is just a small sampling, the list could go on forever! One of my favorite memories of the summer was being able to assist Jenny teach a workshop where over the course of two classes, 4 (four!) bike trailers were constructed! Being a part of the creative and building processes as well as seeing the collaboration between everyone in the workshop is something I won’t soon forget.
A year ago, the mission of Perennial is what sparked my interest. Today, we’re almost one week away from opening our shop to you all and having our own place to fully realize our mission. What does that mean for you? Soon you’ll have a space to come take classes, watch demos, buy Perennial goods and learn the latest way to be eco-friendly. Most importantly though, you’ll have the chance to experience Perennial the way I did last summer, as a welcoming place to learn skills while meeting people, making friends and being creative.
So as we put some of the final touches on the shop, mark your calendars for our preview party on March 31st from 4-7pm. We’re located at 7413-15 S. Broadway and I’m sure you won’t be able to miss us with Chris Bay from KDHX spinning some tunes and Perennial Artisan Ales serving their brews. At the event you’ll be able to purchase some of our goods, make a German Bell for our ceiling and meet some creative folks like yourself who love a good alley find. So grab your friends, family and more friends and come help Perennial settle into our new home in South Carondelet!
We hope to see you all there!
Anna