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You're Invited!
Holiday Party & Potluck
Sat, Dec. 11th, 2-5pm
Let's celebrate the season with food and friends. One of the best things about Community Forklift is that it brings together folks from all walks of life, so this is sort of a Chrismahanakwanzasolsticenewyearfestivus party. We invite you to share your family's traditional food, songs, & holiday customs with us!
 Bring a potluck dish or a drink to share, and enjoy cider and chances to win door prizes. We've got a scavenger hunt in the works, and we will have live music from Magic Ray Jazz.
Feeling creative? Write some alternative lyrics to popular holiday songs, and send them to Ruthie(at)CommunityForklift.com by noon on Dec. 11th. The best lyric-writers will win gift certificates! Perhaps "Deck the Halls" can become "Tile the Walls?" "O Christmas Tree" could be rewritten: "O Pile of Scraps, O Pile of Scraps, it's time to take you to the Lift."
 The community crafting tables in Santa's Workshop will also be open from 2-4. Adults, teens, & kids are invited to make wooden swords, jump ropes, ornaments, wrapping paper, and cards. Bring your own supplies or use ours, share your skills and favorite craft ideas, and get to know your fellow Forklift Fans.
We still need volunteer Elves to help in Santa's Workshop, and to clean up the food table at 5pm. Send your phone number to Ruthie if you can help. |
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We need your financial support
Your tax-deductible contribution will be greatly appreciated, and will enable us to meet our operating costs this winter (utilities, truck, staff, rent, building repairs, education and outreach efforts, etc).
With your help, Community Forklift can continue to provide low-cost materials to the DC area
for years to come.
Or, you can make a check out to SCI (Sustainable Community Initiatives). Be sure to designate Community Forklift in the memo line. You can bring it into the store, or mail it to 4671 Tanglewood Drive, Edmonston MD 20781. If you have any questions, please call or ask for Nancy at the store. |
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December Discounts
 Appliances
Take 25% off fridges, stoves, wall ovens, cooktops, wash machines, clothes dryers, air conditioners, & microwaves. Sale does not include warrantied appliances from our Alco consignment partner, or other types of machines.
Light Fixtures
 Take 25% off all salvaged light fixtures with orange tags. Sale does not include surplus lights, lights without price tags, or white-tag lighting from our Salvage Arts consignment partner.
Granite
 Usually, granite counters are $10-12.50 per square foot. This month, all pieces smaller than 12 square feet are only $7.50/sf! That's a savings of 25% - 40% off. Pieces smaller than three square feet remain a bargain at only $5.00/sf
Medicine Cabinets
 Take 50% off modern and vintage mirrored medicine cabinets. Sale does not include bathroom vanity cabinets, kitchen cabinets, other types of furniture, white-tagged items from our Salvage Arts consignment partner, or items without price tags.
 Here's a great project idea from A Beach Cottage: buy several vintage cabinets and detach the mirrors. Then group them on a wall to bring light into a dim corner or hallway (I think hanging the mirrors from ribbon would also add to the charm).
Standard Trim
Take 50% off the regular prices on all surplus or salvaged pine or fir trim. Sale does not include dimensional lumber (2x4's, 2x6's, etc), trim made from specialty wood, or consignment items such as Treincarnation lumber.
Laminate Counters
 This month, laminate countertops are only $1 per linear foot. So a 6' long countertop would be just 6 bucks! Sale does not include granite, corian, concrete, or butcher block counters. There may be additional charges for attached sinks, faucets, cabinets, or accessories.
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More artists have joined our Great Green Gift Extravaganza!
From now through Dec. 24th at Community Forklift, find beautiful presents from local crafters, artisans, jewelers, and woodworkers. These gifts are made from reclaimed materials, or related to home improvement (We're still looking for pros & amateurs to participate - it's free! Contact Ruthie as soon as possible if you're curious).
Each week, more artists join in - here are the folks exhibiting right now:
Zoe Neuberger
makes beautiful pottery, including plates, bowls, and oil lamps.
 Rox Produx:
I bet you didn't know that our floor manager is also a stone artist! It's hard to believe that Keith's beautiful clocks, bookends, and ornaments were once broken curbstones, discarded tile, & scraps of granite counters.
  
Deciduous Dave uses reclaimed and found wood to make gorgeous walking sticks, juggling pins, slate message boards, and more. He uses stair balusters and slate roof scraps from Community Forklift; as well as fallen holly, cherry, oak, and maple that he finds on walks near his home in Cheverly.
 The Crafty Campbells:
John and Michelle Campbell have been home renovators for over twenty years, and have been Forklift Fans from the beginning. They are experts at creative reuse, and will be happy to tell you how they make useful items like laptop stands, planters, and serving bowls out of junk mail, concrete, salvaged paint, and reclaimed wood. Michelle also will be selling herb garden kits, homemade cocoa kits, and her mouthwatering fudge in vintage tins.
Renee Rubin is inspired by African and Latin American arts & crafts made from scraps and unused materials She makes bottle cap earrings, and the coolest purses out of Vogue magazines & packing tape!  Karin Konrad recycles old clothing and fabric into adorable boas, ornaments, purses and wreaths. I have my eye on her tweed scarf, and I particularly love her little felt birds! Karmalades: Ensure your good Karma and that of the planet by using the Household Cleaner with a Conscience. Made locally by Cynthia Brevil, the Scrubbing Souffle is a natural nontoxic option for scrubbing your tub, counter tops,granite, stainless steel,refrigerator, sink, dishes, silver jewelry, tile and more! It comes in unscented, lemon meringue, coconut macaroon, almond butter, and lavender sugar cookie - yum!
 Plarn It All: Patti Mallin crochets purses, totes, wine gift bags, and cell phone holders from "plarn" - plastic yarn made from100% post-consumer recycled plastic bags. I like her slogan: "Saving the planet, one really cute bag at a time."
 JellyBug Art & Home Accessories: Greenbelt artist Karen Wallace recycles wine bottles and glass jars into charming, eco-friendly serving ware, desk accessories, and bird feeders in her 100% wind-powered studio. Preview her work online!
 Recicle Inn: Helena Barona & Adriana Alarcon are graduate students from Mexico. Currently interning in DC as part of the Mexican-U.S. civil service exchange program, they enjoy handcrafting as a hobby. They make earrings, purses, belts, and bracelets from anything imaginable: potato chip bags, newspapers, cotton threads, and soda pop tops!
 Goyne Vintage: Amanda Goyne scours flea markets, yard sales and Community Forklift to find interesting and unusual items to work into vintage-style jewelry. Her lacy earrings made from clock hands are quite unique, and her antique key necklaces are quite stylish (For more info, email Amanda, or call her at 706-897-4029)
 Sherry G. Selevan has been a lifelong crafter, working in a variety of media and techniques. Her area of specialty is reclaimed glass, and she exhibits in local galleries. She brought us some unique little dishes - who knew broken tempered glass could be so beautiful? (For more info, email Sherry or call her at 301-920-0663)
IngeNEWityWORKs: Timothy DeVenney, a DC-based glass artisan, practices a form of folk art craftsmanship. Using scraps from other artists and a glass school, Tim makes small mosaics and kiln-fused glass pieces including wall art, dishes, mosaics, cufflinks, refrigerator magnets, and bottle stoppers. He also uses granite scraps from the Forklift for the base of his tealight candle holders (To commission an item, email Tim or call him at 202-316-2956).
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NEW WINTER HOURS!!!
Notice: As of Dec. 1st, we have switched to
our shorter winter schedule.
Our hours of operation are now...
Wed, Thurs, & Fri:
10-6
Sat & Sun:
9-6
We remain closed on Mondays & Tuesdays.
Don't worry, we'll return to longer hours in the spring!
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Holiday Hours
We will operate under our regular winter schedule, except:
Dec 24th: 9-2
Dec 25th: Closed
Dec 31st: 9-4
Jan 1st: Closed
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Visit us!
Our huge warehouse is located at:
4671 Tanglewood Dr, Edmonston MD 20781
For detailed directions,
see our website.
We're in the Hyattsville area,
just 5 minutes from the DC line.
To donate building materials,
see our donations page
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It's a great way to find out about newly-arrived items. Here's a sample of recent posts & tweets:
Just got a truckload of exterior wood shutters from the Brass Knob (as they close down, they're sending some of their inventory to us). We still have a few sturdy metal & wood workbenches left, but they're going quick - $20-$75 each Good selection of mantels right now, including tall mantels with mirrors The Hyattsville Patch had a great video about us! Our Green Friday Weekend was featured on DCist's Out and About Weekend Picks Need lumber? We just got approx. 3,500 feet of reclaimed 2x6, 2x8, & 2x10's. Yours for 20 - 35 cents a linear foot.
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Warm toes, warm hearts
Get a warm feeling in your heart by warming someone's toes. Until Dec. 22nd, we are collecting donations of NEW socks and CLEAN new or gently-used coats, gloves, scarves, and hats for children & adults. On Dec. 24th, hundreds of volunteers from the D.C. Jewish Community Center will distribute your gifts at local homeless shelters (For more info, contact Erica Steen or Gena Schoen at the DCJCC).
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Magic Ray Jazz to play at the 'Lift!
Nothing beats live music. We are pleased to announce that
Magic Ray Jazz
will be performing here on two Saturdays:
Dec 11 & 18,
from 2-5pm. 
Magic Ray Jazz is a collection of jazz musicians devoted to performing in and supporting locally-owned establishments and farmers markets on the eastern side of the DC area. They share their music in public gathering places with no cover charge, due to their love of live jazz and desire to support small local businesses. Click here to have a listen, or to support the cause. |
Ask the Green Cleaner
2pm on Sunday,
Dec 12th
Cynthia Brevil will visit Community Forklift to lead a discussion about non-toxic, low-cost, and natural alternatives for cleaning, and to take your questions. If you also have some tips, please come share them with the rest of us!
Cynthia makes Karmalades, the household cleaner with a conscience that is available now in our Green Gift Extravaganza.
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Green news around town:
Our friends at Green DMV always put out a fantastic newsletter, with a lots of local and national news about clean energy & green jobs. Their newest project is "Retrofit the DMV," a regional initiative to help reduce energy costs for residents across the Greater Washington Metropolitan area. It will launch on
10 am on Saturday, December 11, when Green DMV volunteers retrofit a home in a low-income community in Alexandria.
Green Career Training Information Session Tuesday, December 7, 10:30 am - 1 pm at Montgomery Works Sales & Service Learning Center in Wheaton, MD.
Throughout December -- Greater Goods (in NW DC on U St.) offers excellent free classes. This month, the topics include residential solar options and urban composting.
Eco- Green Living is launching an affordable green housing project! |
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This month, as part of our appliance sale,