For most Americans, a clutter of shoes near their doorway is a sign to scroll through Amazon.com or make a trip to IKEA for a compartmentalized solution– a multi-tier shoe rack. While shoe racks can vary greatly in price depending on how large or how quality the item is, most of us are accustomed to the luxury of finding solutions to our challenges in the form of purchasing a product. 

But there are several challenges with this scenario that we at Furniture Repair Bank are working to address. First, a brand new shoe bench is made of raw materials, treetop forest homes and earth-made minerals went into the wooden planks and screws that formed this new entryway organizer. Second, for some of our neighbors purchasing a product like a shoe rack, even in a time of need for one, is impossible. But the desire for structure in a situation of complete disarray heeds a way for creativity and community.

Solving a problem with creativity is just what Abdul Khaliq Ferozi did for his wife and four children when they got relocated into a new home in Washington. Fleeing from the terrors of war in their home of Afghanistan, they arrived with very little. Despite not having many items in their new permanent home in Kent, they were looking for ways to keep their new life, a situation of little control, as organized as possible. To tidy up a pile of shoes for the family of six, they built a makeshift shoe rack from cardboard boxes. 

For most Seattleites, and much of western culture, we are accustomed to buying new when we need or desire new items. But what happens to the old? We discard it to our local thrift stores, charities, or even the curb. But here at Furniture Repair Bank we believe trash can be treasure. Luckily, on the curbside of Marion Street and 20th Avenue in Seattle, Furniture Repair Bank volunteer Irina found treasure. 

She found a wooden shoe rack! Despite the piece being found after the first rain following a hot summer, it was not too damaged. So, she decided to give it a chance with Furniture Repair Bank. Ultimately the wood was solid and dried without signs of damage. After some sanding, staining, and some quick shelf repairs the piece was as good as new! One could say refurbishing this shoe rack was a walk in the park.

Around this time Furniture Repair Bank was working on a set of furniture for the Ferozi family. The agency that was supporting the family with their move, Lutheran Community Services NW, requested, among other items– a shoe rack. 

So, the shoe rack Irina found that was left to rot in the rain, was given new life at Furniture Repair Bank. As it be, a life renewed enough to replace the Ferozi family’s cardboard shoe rack and help them settle into their new Washington home. 

There are many things this shoe rack and story represent: making do with what you have until something better comes along, finding new beginnings with a chance to start again, and– searching for structure amid chaos. Because when the clutter of shoes that you stumble over while walking through the doorway can be picked up, when each pair is evenly matched left and right on a shelf, a house begins to feel like a home, where everything has a place– including you.