The Art of the "Second-Hand" Rainbow

Suitcase Regret and Upcycled Inspiration

If there is one thing I’ve learned on this study tour, it’s that the UK* has a lot to learn about how we present second-hand goods. I spent most of our time in this Breda shop wishing I had brought a spare suitcase!

Visual Storytelling The first thing that hits you is the colour. Instead of random shelves, they had created a stunning rainbow display of vases and glassware. It sounds simple, but it transforms "used" items into a high-end art installation. By grouping items by category and colour, they make the shopping experience feel intentional and exciting.

The Power of a Laugh Circularity doesn't have to be serious all the time. The store was filled with personality—specifically in their "fun lamps" made from salvaged hoovers and bicycles. And then there was the "Wellie Dog" (a dog made out of old rubber boots) that had us all in stitches. It’s that sense of play that makes people fall in love with reused items.

The "Maker" Mindset What truly sets this shop apart is its Upcycling Hub. They have a whole section dedicated to the "how-to." You can buy the items, the tools to fix them, and see finished examples of upcycled projects to spark your own creativity.

Following our Re-Imagine Upcycling event back in Selby, this felt like a glimpse into the future. It’s about moving from "disposable" to "desirable." We aren't just saving items from the bin; we’re giving them a promotion!

*what we found again and again on our tour was the amount of space that the second hand shops over here have, we know it isn’t feasible always for charity shops in the UK to have this, but wouldn’t it be brilliant if they did?! The charity shop superstores which are starting to pop up more and more now are helping with this, but it’s still tough for the smaller, independent stores to tackle that space, storage and clutter issue.

For more information on our trip to the Netherlands, read our blog series or watch our v-log series and check out our social media. If you’d like to read our report on our trip you can view this here, and if you’d like to help us level up the support from the Government for change in the waste and recycling industry, please do pass our High-level report to your local MP and ask them to push the movement forward.

For more information on our Shop for the Future project, read our news article or take a look at our page here.