Who We Are
NOVA CRC is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to promoting creative reuse throughout Northern Virginia. NOVA CRC is like a thrift store for all things arts and crafts! We also offer a community space where the arts and reuse come together. Kids, Adults, Teachers, and Artists can all find treasures here to inspire their next projects. We are constantly committed to promoting sustainable art as well as sustainable living and will continue to work on promoting these goals in the Northern Virginia area.
Our Mission:
Encourage reuse of everyday items
Divert materials headed for the waste stream
Provide affordable materials to the creatively inclined
To promote and support the arts in NoVA
Our Roots
NOVA Creative Reuse Center, Inc. was Founded in 2018 by our Director Jess Griffin, a Maryland native who transplanted to Virginia in 2012.
Jess spent much of 2018 introducing the idea of reuse and NOVA CRC to the community. Check out the logo that NOVA residents helped to decorate at the 2018 Sterlingfest!
About Our Director
Jess has long been involved in the creative reuse community having previously volunteered with SCRAP DC for some years before it closed its doors. Her love for creative reuse started at a young age, though she didn’t know the art she made had a specific name. In college, she was introduced to a reuse center in Durham, NC called the Scrap Exchange, and her world opened to the idea that havens for artists like her existed! Ever since then she has been working to introduce this form of artwork and community resources to her area. Jess is continually experimenting with turning ordinary items into extraordinary pieces and sells her creations at art shows and online.
Board Members
President - Jess Griffin
Treasurer - Andrew Griffin
Andrew is Jess’s Husband and brings a wealth of knowledge to the team with his expertise in business and marketing. He also is a creative type having studied Bass Guitar at Berklee College of Music where he dabbled in other art forms such as collage, drawing, and composing. Andrew is an Operations Field Consultant for Bach to Rock, and spends his spare time tinkering with watches, working on his car, and landscaping the yard.
Member - Leah Cooper
Leah is a resident of Leesburg with a background in Haberdashery, Hair Styling, and a wealth of experience in Program Managing. She serves on another community organization’s board, and is an avid supporter of reuse, the creative arts, community building, and environmental sustainability.
We are looking to expand our board!
Are you excited about our mission? Do you want to use you skills to help our organization grow? Please contact us for information about applying for our Board of Directors.