Margot Kingon operates Second Wave Supplies, an arts-and-crafts supply thrift store in Beacon that she opened in November at 333 Fishkill Ave. It is open Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What is your background?
I grew up in New York City. I attended the High School of Music and Art and majored in sociology and photography at SUNY Purchase. I worked in the film industry for 34 years, the last 20 making commercials. We moved to Wappingers, where my son [now 18] went to a community-minded school. A few years ago, I began to co-host a clothing swap and a weekly dance party. I hadn’t grown up with much of a sense of community, and I found that.
Why did you start Second Wave?
I didn’t want any part of the advertising world anymore, getting people to buy products they don’t need. I discovered a materials-reuse store called Scrap in a warehouse in Portland, Oregon. It had barrels filled with keyboards, springs and old brushes. I started dreaming of a space like that. When Retake/Remake opened in Peekskill, I saw a way of doing it small, curated and organized. Second Wave is about green equity and access: keeping materials out of the landfill, keeping materials cheap and accessible. It’s less of a business and more of “social practice art.” I’m in it as a response to my own questions about community: How do we come together?
What supplies can people donate?
Any arts or crafting material, except incomplete projects, machines that don’t work or anything mildewy or moldy. Nothing toxic. Thread and buttons and fabric that grandmothers passed on. Maybe someone has given up a hobby or hands got too arthritic to knit, so they donate to a place where stuff will be well-used and well-loved.
Who are your customers?
Parents looking for ways for their kids to express their creativity. Artists who don’t have money to spend on supplies. Anybody who’s interested in scratching a creative itch without laying out a lot of money. Educators and librarians. I generally price at 75 percent less than retail. I’m surprised by how long people linger — it’s a small space, but there’s so much to go through. There’s this sense that art is for people who went to art school, and materials must be fancy, unusual or hard to find. I believe we’re all born artists, and I want to inspire creativity.
Have people been supportive?
They have been so welcoming. They want to support the store and clean up their homes. They appreciate a place that is easy to get to, with things they need. They message me: “Do you have glue sticks?” They run over, get one for a quarter and don’t have to drive to the mall and spend $5. Someone says, “I was looking for a piece of Plexiglas exactly this size; I can’t believe you have this.” People show me photos of things they’ve made with materials they bought here. I have regular customers, especially when the world is kind of falling apart. When I’m having a bad day, it feels great to have these small connections with people I hadn’t known before.
