

I have come to realize that although my mom and I founded The Create + Restore Brand in 2013, it has taken more than eight years to develop into the business that it’s becoming today. Amazing, isn’t it?
The idea for C+R came in 2013 while redecorating my son’s room. We had lots of vision, but with a small budget, we had to use some creativity. I added a fresh coat of paint, re-purposed furniture we already had, and shopped for both new and second-hand pieces at local thrift stores. What we created was a great room with great style that didn’t break the bank. We decided that was something everyone deserved.
Create + Restore started as a home decorating service, so the transition to selling vintage happened naturally. Truthfully, I was finding more cool vintage pieces than we were getting decorating clients! During my shopping trips, I started to become more conscious of how much excess our culture lives with. After all, going to estate sales and thrift stores every week will allow you see how much stuff people hold on to. And unfortunately, not all of those items end up sold. It was then that I decided that C+R needed to be a part of a solution that allowed great used items to get a second life instead of ending up in landfills and negatively affecting our environment.
We started off selling vintage home décor, then moved into selling vintage clothing and accessories. In 2019, we began up-cycling items using recycled fabrics and creating beautifully hand-sketched artwork, and have since added curated thrifted goods, now available in our online shop. The C+R blog, Created and Restored, highlights ways to be sustainable in various areas life, including cooking, gardening, beauty and style. You can also order locally sourced, homemade baked goods or recycle your jeans and tees with us here. If you have any questions about our products, services or blogs, email us at contactus@createdandrestored.com. We would love to hear from you!

Kara Richardson
Kara is an American retail entrepreneur that also designs, recycles and reuses clothing into turns them into updated, trendy clothes, home goods and accessories. An eco-friendly and earth conscious mother, Kara started Create + Restore 7 years ago as a way to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. She continues to grow the business with her family by expanding into vintage (Not Your Mama's Vintage) and art (A. Jett Art & Illustrations).

Althie Richardson
Althie is an American fashion illustrator and artist with a degree in fashion design. A retail store manager for more than 35 years, Althie has extensive knowledge of merchandising and operations. She has now ventured into e-commerce with her daughter as co-owner of The Create + Restore Brand, including Create + Restore, Not Your Mama's Vintage and A. Jett Art & Illustration. Her goal is to promote recycling and reuse as a means of saving our earth.