FOUND OBJECTS

Diana Durkes didn’t know much about thrifting as a kid growing up in rural Illinois. It just wasn’t a thing. She did, however, master the art of dumpster diving at an early age—a rare talent best embodied by her mother’s best friend, Phyllis. We all know a Phyllis; we all want to be Phyllis. So did Durkes. “In her Woody station wagon, Phyllis would spy a chair put on the curb, pick it up, and reupholster it into the coolest chair you ever sat in,” says Durkes, a self-described “re-maker at heart” who opened her Forest & Found charitable resale shop in Lake Forest nearly a decade ago. “She was probably the first person to make a bar cart out of a stereo cabinet.” It quickly became an obsession, a passion, and now a vocation. “I like to think I was an early tastemaker in the reuse/recycle movement,” she laughs. “I take existing found items, treat them as resources, and usher them into a new life.” Even before opening Forest & Found in 2014, Durkes’ unique creations were showcased in Time Out Chicago, Apartment Therapy, Ikea Hacks and various other sites, including her own Fine Diving blog. “I’ve done lots of different things in my career over the years,” she adds. “When my five kids were small, I took jobs around their schedule.” Gigs included project management for small businesses and a stint working for Northwestern University, but the one that stands out most was a seasonal job she snagged at Crate & Barrel. “I fell in love with its retail aesthetic,” says Durkes, who now incorporates that experience into her own shop. “We try hard to create and maintain that one-of-a-kind vibe. I consider it part of our mission to inspire people to incorporate existing products into their lifestyle.” It’s a two-fold endeavor, really. First off, it keeps still useful items out of the landfill. But perhaps more important is a business model that combines creative reuse with raising funds for area charities. “It’s a model that revolves around the fabulous donors, shoppers, and supporters that have contributed to our success,” says Durkes, adding that Forest & Found has proudly given more than $500,000 to local nonprofits. “I also like that we’re a store of used and useful items. I’m not saying we’re going to solve the globe’s plastics issues but we are making small gestures in the reuse/recycle matter.” The result is a shopping experience one customer referred to as “magic,” and she’s happy to be that enterprise providing “a little bit of fairy dust” into people’s lives. Durkes has made some of her own epic finds at the shop as well, including a pair of MOMA tennis shoes (“that brought not one, but two compliments the minute I wore them!”) and a funky bo-ho mirror that has a place of prominence on the mantel of her Evanston home. Turns out, Phyllis was on to something. This is way more fun that going to the mall. “You get the ‘Aha!’ experience of spotting it, loving it, and taking it home with a story to boot,” adds Durkes. All that’s missing is the Woody.