If you’ve ever dreamed of a spot where crafts have nine lives and creativity knows no bounds, you need to check out Cat’s Eye Creative Reuse in Boise!

Cat’s Eye Creative Reuse has officially opened its storefront at 1747 S Broadway Ave in Boise, next to Hideout Coffee and Junkyard Jeans. The shop offers an impressive array of secondhand arts and craft supplies, including fabrics sold by the pound, stamps, markers, paints, papers, zippers, embroidery tools, and so much more! Open Wednesday through Saturday from 11am-6pm, this vibrant space is overflowing with sustainability, artistry, and a touch of creative alchemy.

Scrappy start

The heart and soul of Cat’s Eye is Shay Haas, a self-proclaimed “witchy lady” with a knack for breathing new life into the forgotten. Her path to Cat’s Eye began in Denton, TX at a creative reuse center known as Scrap. “It was a thrift store for arts and crafts supplies as a nonprofit,” said Shay. She volunteered at Scrap in 2012 for about a year, before graduating college, traveling abroad to Spain, and moving to Oregon. In 2015, she found herself back at Scrap, this time as an employee.

Starting at just $12 per hour as a retail specialist, she eventually became an education coordinator, hosting birthday parties and curating a range of other programming. “I hosted kids’ birthday parties, ran summer camps, and organized craft classes for adults,” she shared. “I just loved it.”

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Though she loved the creative outlet Scrap offered, it didn’t provide the stability she was seeking at the time. She returned to the service industry for about a year before receiving a call from her old director, who had also left the year prior, asking her to come back and become the donations manager at Scrap.

When she arrived, the place was in shambles and the art supplies in complete disarray. No system of organization, no shelving, and boxes. Lots of boxes. All stored in a massive garage bay.

“I called myself the garage troll. Lovingly.” said Shay, with a smile. In two short months, Shay completely overhauled their system, turning chaos into order, and leading Scrap to its best sales in history.

After that was sorted out, she became volunteer coordinator, assisting kids with disabilities in tasks like testing markers and sorting paper. She was still working part time as a server, making art, selling art, prints, painting, and jewelry, and doing pop-up markets whenever she got the chance. This continued for the next few years, until 2020.

In an effort to pivot during the pandemic, the center began accepting online orders but it wasn’t enough. Scrap was forced to close its doors for good.

“I was really sad about it, but it was also affirming for me. I had an acquaintance that I knew in the yoga community in Denton, who had moved here [to Boise] the year before, and she was looking for a roommate,” said Shay. “I was like, okay, I’ll come to Boise.”

Boise bound

“So in January of 2020, I had made the decision that I was gonna be moving that summer, in July. We know what happened in between there,” said Shay. Enough said.

After moving to Boise and working a desk job at a natural spring water company, Shay felt something was missing from her life. “I asked myself, ‘When was I happiest and most content with a job?’ And it was when I was at Scrap making $12 an hour,” she said. After a lifetime of employment in the service industry and a few months at a desk job, she decided enough was enough. It was time to go all in on art. Cat's Eye was ready to open.

Coming up with a name was her easiest business decision thus far, inspired by the gemstone known for promoting insight and opening the mind. “I was doing a mind map, and I started with Boise, and then I went to Gem State. And then I was like, oh, gems, crystals. I have a crystal collection. I love Tarot and astrology and ancient Egyptian stuff, all that. I looked up a list of names of crystals, and I went straight to the C’s, because I like alliteration. And then I saw Cat's Eye as a gemstone. It's all about opening your mind and seeing things in a different way,” said Shay. With help from her friend Tristan, Shay began laying the groundwork for her own creative reuse brand.

Now that she’d decided she was going to start her business, she was fine going back to serving to save up some money. She was doing the Boise Flea Market every month, pop-up markets, paint and sip workshops, and running Cat’s Eye as an online store on Shopify, with sales coming in from all over the world.

It was just a matter of time before Cat’s Eye would find a place to call home.

Cat’s Eye opens its doors

After a few years of steady growth, a storage unit, and an entire bedroom dedicated to art supplies, Shay decided it was time to take things to the next level. She first found out about this building from her now next door neighbor Brigette Nelson, owner of Hideout Coffee Co and Garden City Projects, and knew it was perfect. Excited to get the ball rolling, she immediately began preparing for the move.

To her surprise, the previous tenants decided to renew their lease and she was told she’d have to wait another year. “I was bummed, but I was also like, all right, that's cool. That gives me a year to really think about this and plan for it,” said Shay.

Having worked in the service industry her entire life, Shay’s no stranger to piecing together her income, but this time it was bigger than her. She knew this was her one chance to make this vision come to life, she just needed to see herself the way so many others did. Talented, driven, tenacious, and beyond capable. At this point, she was all in.

She wasn’t sure she’d get the space until this last October. In the span of about two months, she had raised her capital by $3,000 selling custom screen printed and bleach-dyed t-shirts, Cat’s Eye gift cards, and even hosting a manifestation party. With the help of her friend Shannon and her father, she was able to get Cat’s Eye up and running for its grand opening on January 8th.

At this point in our interview, Shay gets up to help a customer weigh some fabric. “If I was smart, I’d be ready to go home,’ said the customer, jokingly. Her entire load was probably only $20. This place is incredibly affordable, especially if you’re looking to try something new without paying for new.

Cat’s Eye Creative Reuse offers a plethora of arts and craft supplies. You name it, Shay’s probably got it, though it may be somewhere in the pile in the back. But, don’t worry, it’ll be sorted out in no time, before the next donation comes in.

I was lucky enough to visit the shop for its grand opening, walking out with a paper bag filled to the brim with tons of colorful paper, three bags of felt flowers, a couple magnifying glasses, vintage handkerchiefs, and another bag full of lovely stamps. I spent $35. It’s the kind of place that’s easy to get lost in, in the best way possible.

A vision so clear it's crystal

Shay’s vision is rooted in the belief that every material has potential, and so does every person. She hopes Cat’s Eye will become a place where locals can go to spark creativity, meet like-minded individuals, and find inspiration in a sea of reused materials.

She plans to host a Birthday Club every month, dedicated to making handmade cards for your loved ones as well as workshops on clothing mending, sewing, bag making, and more. She also plans to do a monthly Cosmic Craft around the new or the full moon each month. Her first Cosmic Craft Night will be happening on January 29th from 6-8pm, making vision boards. If you haven’t already, now is the perfect time!!

The shop is divided into two main rooms, the first being all things arts & crafts, the second being the classroom and storage area. Though Shay is a very crafty lady, she won’t be able to do this by herself forever; she plans to open this space up to other local creatives, and probably hire a part-time employee or two. “I don't ever want to move. I'm gonna stay here for as long as I can. But I also know that I will likely outgrow the space, so my idea will be to expand to another location, like Meridian or Nampa,” she said. She plans to utilize this space as her home base.

Cat’s Eye is currently accepting donations on an appointment basis. You can schedule an appointment here. There’s a list of acceptable materials on her website. Items include books and magazines, collage and scrapbooking, containers, DIY tools, fabrics and fibers, jewelry and beads, media (think vinyls and cassette tapes), metal, plastic, wood, notions (buttons, pins, zippers, ribbon), and office supplies. She goes into way more detail on the website but that gives you a general idea.

Donations are a vital part of keeping the shop running and accessible to all. If you have gently used arts and crafts materials, reach out to Shay to set up a donation appointment.

Her online store is not currently in operation, but she recommends checking out Thistle in Denton or Make and Mend in Massachusetts for anyone interested in ordering creative reuse online. She also mentioned the ReUse Market in Boise (3777 W Chinden Blvd) for any other crafting needs. “The online store was always just like a stepping stone to get here. I'm someone who wants to connect with the people here,” she said.

Stay updated on new arrivals, events, and Shay’s creative journey by following Cat’s Eye Creative Reuse on Instagram and Facebook. While you’re at it, might as well take a peek at the website, too.

As Shay says, “Tomorrow's never promised, but today is filled with limitless possibilities.” Why not spend your day creating something extraordinary?

Thanks for reading!

With love from Boise,

Carly

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