Scarlet has been with Finger Lakes ReUse for almost a decade. They are currently a Production Lead.
I’ve been working with Finger Lakes ReUse for just shy of ten years. I have a degree in Resource Conservation and Management, and honestly imagined myself working for the Forest Service, or the Department of Environmental Conservation…maybe studying the effects of pollution on aquatic animals or something. But after working for both the Forest Service and New York State Parks and applying for at least 100 jobs and internships all over the country, I was lucky enough to be hired at ReUse. I had volunteered for a few months before seeing the job post, and really enjoyed stocking carts and organizing stuff up at the Triphammer location. This was before the Ithaca ReUse Center existed. I was officially hired September 1st, 2015, and it has been a great learning experience.
Working in Deconstruction for about the first three months, I had a great time learning how to salvage wood from structures, and how to use a saws all. It was also quite an experience tearing apart the classroom walls of the old Boces building, resetting it with shelves and product, and helping to make the Ithaca ReUse Center what it is today. I didn’t think I wanted to work retail, but was fascinated by all the interesting things that come through our doors, and I did like working with so many of our wonderful staff members, and the members of our community. I realized, somewhere along the way, that the stuff that people are throwing away really are valuable resources. As a life-long 2nd-hand shopper, I guess I knew that, but seeing how much good stuff may have gone to waste first-hand, just in one small county, really drove the point home. So, I did get to put my degree to good use after all. I’m proud to help support the people that I work with and the community that I have become a part of, all while protecting the environment, one recliner chair and one tchotchke at a time.
Some of my favorite parts about working here are seeing all the cool and strange things we get, playing with silly stuff as it comes in, playing furniture Tetris, and dumping the dump truck. I also like doing big projects, where the end results are a remarkable difference.
Fun facts about me? Hmmm…I was one of the first girls in the Boys Clubs of America, back in Hollywood, in 1986. They put me in two of their commercials when I was little. I was also an extra in a Teddy Grahams commercial, with the bears rocking out on top of a theater marquis. My 5th grade classmate once brought Woody Harrelson to Show and Tell! I’ve worked production at music festivals since I was sixteen… Grassroots and Bethel Family Reunion, on the original site of Woodstock, were some of my first. These days, I’m on the board for an organization that puts on events and supports artists and smaller libraries. Oh! Also, I have a costume collection and love any opportunity to dress up. I’ve even delivered a few singing telegrams!