Upcycle CHQ

Upcycle CHQ UpcycleCHQ is a reuse & circular economy platform in Chautauqua county,turning waste into value through repair, reuse, upcycling, creativity, & innovation.

It brings together families, youths, makers, artists, schools, organizations & local businesses.

Today we’re celebrating the skill of Gardening.Long before grocery stores, people grew food in their backyards, shared s...
06/18/2026

Today we’re celebrating the skill of Gardening.

Long before grocery stores, people grew food in their backyards, shared seeds with neighbors, saved harvests for winter, and passed gardening knowledge from one generation to the next.

For many of us, gardening isn’t just about growing food.

It’s about memories.

Memories of parents and grandparents tending gardens, teaching us when to plant, how to w**d, how to save seeds, and the satisfaction of harvesting something we grew ourselves.

Gardening is also one of the most creative forms of reuse. Gardeners are known for finding new purposes for old materials—using containers as planters, composting food scraps, repurposing pallets, saving seeds, reusing pots, collecting rainwater, and finding countless ways to make the most of what they have.

It’s a skill that teaches patience, resourcefulness, self-reliance, and stewardship.

Today, gardening remains one of the most practical skills we can have. It helps us grow food, reduce waste, support pollinators, and build stronger, more resilient communities.

And what are you growing this year?

What’s the best gardening advice you have ever received?

Share your knowledge, photos(if you have some) and experiences with the community.

Let’s celebrate the gardeners who help grow food, beautify our communities, support pollinators, and pass valuable skills on to others.

Michelle Vullo Shari Kay Penn State Master Gardeners of Warren County Penn State Master Gardeners of Clarion County Heather Hilyer Gray Sarah Hatfield Stacey Rae Thrasher

Upcycle CHQ Skill Spotlight: Samantha Lotte Bigelow & Family In a world of fast food and convenience, some families are ...
06/17/2026

Upcycle CHQ Skill Spotlight: Samantha Lotte Bigelow & Family

In a world of fast food and convenience, some families are still filling shelves with food they’ve preserved themselves.

Even before there was a grocery store on every corner, families relied on skills like canning, harvesting, and preserving to make the most of what they had.

Today and for some families, those traditions are still alive
-Children helping in the kitchen.
-Shelves lined with home-canned food.
-A family hunting, harvesting, preserving, and working together.

Meet Samantha Lotte Bigelow and her family.

When we asked our community about canning, Samantha Lotte Bigelow shared a story that perfectly captures why these skills matter.

Samantha’s canning journey began with lessons from her Papa Iggy and her mom. What started with canning tomatoes eventually grew into much more.

Today, Samantha puts up an incredible 200–300 jars each year, including:

- Tomato sauces
- Jams
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Broths and stocks
- Homemade health remedies
- Pressure-canned foods

Over the years she expanded from simple water-bath canning into pressure canning, continually learning and refining her skills.

But what makes this story special isn’t just the food.

It’s the family behind it.

Samantha shared that her husband plays a huge role in supporting her canning efforts, helping with tools, physical work, the household, and the kids during the busy canning season.

And their daughters are learning too.

Their 3-year-old and 8-year-old already help in ways appropriate for their ages, becoming part of a tradition that has been passed down through generations.

The family also hunts together.

Their oldest daughter started joining them when she was just 2 years old, and their youngest started at only 9 months old. Together they harvest venison, process it, preserve it, and teach their children the value of making the most of what they have.

When asked about her favorite thing to can, Samantha couldn’t choose just one.

-Strawberry jam because “PB&J’s are life in our home.”

- Finished tomato sauce because it makes life easier for a busy family.

- Elderberry syrup because she loves providing a homemade remedy for her daughters.

Homemade soups made from her vegetable stock and turkey broth because they make winter meals something to look forward to.

What we love about Samantha’s story is that it reminds us that canning is about so much more than filling jars.

It’s about:
- Family
- Passing knowledge to the next generation
- Preserving food and reducing waste
- Self-reliance and resourcefulness
- Appreciating what you harvest
- Working together

These are the kinds of skills that helped build strong communities for generations.

And thanks to families like Samantha’s, they’re still being passed on today.

Thank you, Samantha and family, for sharing your story and helping keep these valuable skills alive.

Do you have any story of your family canning together?

Share your story below!💚

Through the Upcycle CHQ Maker Pilot Program, we’re discovering that some of the most valuable assets for economic develo...
06/16/2026

Through the Upcycle CHQ Maker Pilot Program, we’re discovering that some of the most valuable assets for economic development may already exist within our communities.

And as we work with makers, farmers, repairers, artists, sewists, quilters, woodworkers, gardeners, bakers, crafters, photographers, musicians, mechanics, and countless others through UpcycleCHQ, we’ve started to notice something important.

Many of the assets needed to create economic opportunity already exist within our communities.

The skills.
The knowledge.
The creativity.
The experience.
The tools.
The materials.
The people.

For generations, local economies were built on people who knew how to grow, repair, build, make, sew, cook, create, teach, and solve problems. Today, many of those skills still exist. They may be practiced in homes, garages, workshops, farms, studios, kitchens, community centers, and maker spaces—but they remain valuable.

One of the reasons we launched the UpcycleCHQ Maker Pilot Program was to test a simple idea:

What happens when you connect local skills, reusable materials, community support, and market opportunities?

What we are discovering is that there is incredible untapped potential in our communities. The pilot has brought together 25 makers with different skills, experiences, stories, and products. Along the way, we are uncovering something bigger than a maker program—we are identifying assets that can contribute to micro-enterprise development and local economic growth.

Many participants already have the skills, passion, and creativity. What is often missing is access to materials, visibility, connections, support, and opportunities to reach customers.

Through UpcycleCHQ and the MADE IN CHQ initiative, we are exploring how local skills can become products, products can become income, and makers can become micro-enterprises.

Perhaps economic development isn’t only about attracting new businesses.

Perhaps it’s also about identifying, connecting, supporting, and activating the talent that already exists within our communities.

That’s the journey we’re on, and we’re excited by what we’re discovering.

Are you interested in supporting this work?

We are actively seeking partners, sponsors, organizations, educational institutions, economic development agencies, and community leaders who believe in the potential of local skills, makers, and micro-enterprise development.

Learn more about the UpcycleCHQ Maker Pilot Program and partnership opportunities through our Partnership & Sponsorship Brochure:

https://upcyclechq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/UPCYCLECHQ-MAKER-PILOT-PROGRAM-Updated.pdf

Reach out to us via: [email protected]

The opportunity is already here. Together, we can help unlock it.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency- CCIDA Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth Chautauqua County Planning & Development Chautauqua Opportunities for Development, Inc Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

Today we’re celebrating the skill of Canning.For generations, canning helped families preserve harvests, reduce waste, s...
06/16/2026

Today we’re celebrating the skill of Canning.

For generations, canning helped families preserve harvests, reduce waste, save money, and keep food on the table throughout the year.

Many people learned it from their parents or grandparents. Today, fewer people know how to do it, yet it’s a skill that many believe is needed now more than ever.

Canning is more than preserving food.

It’s self-reliance.
It’s resourcefulness.
It’s making the most of what you grow.
It’s knowledge passed from one generation to the next.

Do you know how to can?

What have you canned over the years? Tomatoes? Peaches? Pickles? Salsa? Jam? Something else?

Share a photo if you have one and tell us who taught you.

Let’s celebrate this timeless skill and the people helping to keep it alive.

Jay DeVlieger Melissa DeVlieger Rebecca Joy EnJoyABle Acres LLC Miller's Apples Browns homestead Emily Brown Canticle Farm Maggitti Farms Colette Harrison Shari Kay Scott's Farm and Greenhouse Roo Haven Farm

06/15/2026

What practical skill do you think is being lost, but is needed now more than ever?

Did you know quilting is a skill that has been practiced for thousands of years?For generations, people around the world...
06/15/2026

Did you know quilting is a skill that has been practiced for thousands of years?

For generations, people around the world have stitched layers of fabric together to create warmth, comfort, beauty, and practical items for everyday life. Long before the word “upcycling” existed, people were saving fabric scraps and turning them into quilts that could last for decades.

Quilting is more than sewing.

It’s creativity, craftsmanship, resourcefulness, storytelling, and tradition passed from one generation to the next.

Today, we’re celebrating the skill of quilting and the talented people who continue to keep this remarkable tradition alive.

What have you made using quilting?

Share a photo and tell us a little about it. We’d love to showcase the creativity, skill, and stories behind your work.

Let’s celebrate one of the world’s oldest and most enduring maker skills.

What Would You Like to See Our Makers Create?Community Materials Are Becoming Local Products and we are asking you our ...
06/14/2026

What Would You Like to See Our Makers Create?

Community Materials Are Becoming Local Products and we are asking you our community-What Would You Like to See Made?

Over the past few months, many of you have donated fabric, denim, feed bags, sewing supplies, and other reusable materials to support the UpcycleCHQ Maker Pilot Program.

Now, those materials are making their way into the hands of local makers, and the making has begun!

Our makers will spend the next four weeks transforming donated materials into products that will be featured as part of the first Made in CHQ collection and future showcases.

Before they get too far into the process, we’d love your input.

If these materials were turned into handmade products by local makers, what would you be interested in seeing—or buying?

Would you like:

- Tote bags
- Reusable shopping bags
- Home décor
- Quilted items
- Gifts
- Pouches and organizers
- Book covers
- Children’s items
- Pet accessories
- Artwork

Or something completely different?

Your ideas could help inspire our makers and shape the products created during this first pilot program.

Thank you to everyone who donated materials, shared ideas, encouraged makers, and supported this growing community. We can’t wait to show you what is created from the materials you helped put into circulation.

For Partnership here is the details of Upcycle CHQ Maker Pilot Program:https://upcyclechq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/UPCYCLECHQ-MAKER-PILOT-PROGRAM-Updated.pdf

For any inquiry please reach out to us via direct messages or email : ([email protected])

Please comment below and let us know what you’d love to see made! 👇

This beautiful bag was created by Nanette Bartkowiak one of the makers participating in the Upcycle CHQ Maker Pilot Prog...
06/13/2026

This beautiful bag was created by Nanette Bartkowiak one of the makers participating in the Upcycle CHQ Maker Pilot Program, using reused denim jeans.

Would you use a bag like this?

If yes, what would you use it for?

Farmers markets? Everyday errands? Craft supplies? Books? Travel? Shopping? Other things?

We’d love to hear your thoughts as our makers continue developing products through the pilot program.

Recently, one of our makers shared a story about inheriting materials, designs, and generations of making knowledge from...
06/12/2026

Recently, one of our makers shared a story about inheriting materials, designs, and generations of making knowledge from her family.

It was a powerful reminder that some of our most valuable community assets aren’t things—they’re the skills, creativity, and wisdom passed from one person to another.

A sewing technique from a grandmother.
A woodworking skill from a father.
A recipe from a mother.
A craft learned from a neighbor.
A repair skill learned from a friend.

These skills connect generations and help shape who we are.

At Upcycle CHQ we’re discovering that behind every maker is a story, and behind many stories is someone who took the time to teach.

So we’re curious:

What skill do you still use today, and who taught it to you?

Share your story below. 👇

06/12/2026

Anybody interested in these 32" tall, floor to seat bar stools? Purchased and don't fit where I need them. As is I paid $150, plus traveled to silver Creek to get them. They do need new covers. I'll glad sell as is for $150, or recover all 4 for an additional $100 with choice of in stock material only. Or u can pay to order any material you'd like. Share please.
Upcycle CHQ
Made in CHQ Founding Makers

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Chautauqua County, NY
14784

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+17163978771

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