Walkable Wonders: Cabin Creations & Reclaim It! 127

​Join Marketing intern and new ’Berg alum Em Swain, ’22, as they visit local businesses only a short walk away from Heidelberg University’s campus. It's Walkable Wonders, our summer web series!

My mom always likes to say, “As soon as the Fourth of July is over, the rest of the summer just flies by!” So, this week is kind of in honor of that quick passage of time that happens after fireworks season. I’m the kind of person who – when things are feeling like this – enjoys planning and doing little projects to prepare and make the fall easier. So, the businesses I visited this week are great ways to do just that!

Cabin Creations Craft Store and Gift Shop

Cabin Creations is a business owned and operated by Donna Brose, and has three storefronts on South Washington Street. Cabin Creations’ Avon products are located at 122 S. Washington St., which has a red and blue “Avon” logo on the windows. The Avon part of the store is connected to Cabin Creations’ Gift Shop at 124 S. Washington St., which has a red-white-and-blue Cabin Creations logo on its door. The Craft Store is marked with a yellow sign and is located across the street at 135 S. Washington St.

Students frequently visit and rely on the Cabin Creations Craft Store, for Greek Life-related crafts and projects. Francis Brose Sr., Donna’s husband, runs the Cabin Creations Craft Store. He hand-carves the boards and other supplies that students often need when involved in Greek Life. He carries many of the symbols associated with Heidelberg Greek Life, in case any member stops by. The Craft Store also carries several nostalgic knick-knacks and crafts, like fuse beads and punch embroidery kits. 

Not many of my friends have visited the Cabin Creations Gift Shop and Avon Store that’s across the street – and they are missing out! I’ve purchased gifts for my family members at the Gift Store and Avon store several times; they have several nostalgic and vintage items and collectibles that many of my older family members remember and enjoy. One of my favorite sweaters I found snooping around the back of the Avon part of the store. Those around my age will remember Webkinz, stuffed animals that connect to an online game where you care for your pet, teach it and play minigames. For those of you who are interested, the website is still up and active, and Webkinz are sold at the back of the Gift Shop part of the store. 

All three storefronts for Cabin Creations are along South Washington Street, and all three storefronts are only a 12-minute walk from the center of campus. For more information about their hours and products, check out their website. 

Reclaim It! 127

Reclaim It! 127 is a retail-resale store. They sell refurbished furniture and household items. They also sell some supplies for people who want to take a stab at refurbishing their own furniture, and occasionally have a free book cart outside for people to look over and take what they need. All of the furniture sold in Reclaim It! is very high quality, and it amazes me and my family every time we visit. The level of detail required to clean some of the vintage items they have is something that I’m envious of! But, the incredible level of detail and quality in the items they resell isn’t even the coolest part of Reclaim It!

The coolest part is that the people who do the work of cleaning, repairing, refurbishing, and sometimes completely creating, are youth and other community members. Reclaim It! is a registered nonprofit, and their mission is to “give a strong voice to our youth to create lasting solutions to issues they face through empowerment, skills building, community collaboration, and inspiring the hope that they have the power to enact those changes.”  The youth and community members who work with Reclaim It! have truly mastered the art of turning the broken into something beautiful!

Reclaim It! is located on South Washington Street, right beside the County Parking Lot. It is a 12-minute walk away from the center of Heidelberg’s campus! For more information on Reclaim It, visit their website or check out their Facebook page.

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