Artists Give New Life to Old Furniture

If you have a piece of wooden furniture that you want to sell or donate, Sol Sitzer would love to take it off your hands.

Two weeks ago, Sitzer started Creative Young Artists--a nonprofit artists’ studio and store in a 6,000 square-foot space at the Westside Pavilion shopping mall. Sitzer has selected about 200 artists to refurbish and paint used furniture, most of it to customers’ specifications.

Sitzer cannot pay much for used furniture, only about $10, but the donations help keep artists working, he said. The only thing Sitzer asks is that the furniture be made of real wood, not the “phony stuff.”

The artists keep 30% of the selling price when they redo a piece. The rest of the money goes to a scholarship fund for artists and to pay overhead, said Sitzer, who is not drawing a salary.

A retired entrepreneur, Sitzer was bored with retirement when he decided to start Creative Young Artists. Although he admits to never having used a hammer or a paint brush, Sitzer says he is skilled at something equally important: keeping people employed.

“I saw all these artists out of work and all the furniture being thrown away, and I said, ‘Why can’t I make a marriage between the two?’ ” he said.