Across from checkout at Bellingham’s RE Store is a locked cabinet, home to eight “rooms” of a miniature salvage store. The details of the diorama store are largely crafted from items most would toss in the trash.
Wall-mounted outlet extenders create a wall of “filing cabinets.” Small squares of carpet protector are made into bottle carriers for soda brands that artist and RE Store staffer David Spangler imagined himself. Blister packs become sink basins, and empty floss containers serve as toilet tanks — one of Spangler’s favorite reuses.
He started working at The RE Store in the mid-’90s and would envision the ways he could repurpose the materials that crossed his path.
Spangler ran the idea of making a diorama past RE Store’s then-director Tim O’Donnell, who loved the thought of bringing more art into the store. In April 2023, Spangler dove into what was to be a two-month art project, but turned out to be seven.
“I thought this would be way easier, and of course, I started having fun,” Spangler said. “More ideas kept coming to me.”
Spangler left a comment book on top of the cabinet, not expecting much. Now, every couple of weeks, he reads the new notes. Some say simply how amazing his creation is, perhaps with a few expletives for emphasis. Others are reminded of their childhood, when they wished they could’ve had something like it to play with.
“It has been revered in a way that I could never have predicted,” Spangler said.
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Audra Anderson is CDN’s assistant editor; reach her at audraanderson@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 115.
