Young entrepreneur diverts discarded furniture from landfills
Elwyn Thom inspecting a sofa prior to cleaning. Photo by: Selene Prosick
By Patricia Lane & Elwyn Thom
Elwyn Thom is building the circular economy one sofa at a time. The 23-year-old entrepreneur based in Saanich, British Columbia, upcycles unwanted couches so they are like new and sells them at deeply discounted prices. During his two years in business so far, he helped divert more than 100,000 pounds of waste from landfills.
Tell us about your project.
At Recertified Furniture, we repair, refurbish and rejuvenate damaged but good quality sofas, chairs and other furniture that are no longer wanted. Customers get exceptional quality, comfort and design for a great price. We get to do meaningful work making stylish furniture available to more people, with a minimal carbon footprint and less landfill waste.
How did you get into this business?
When I was 10 years old, I was visiting a landfill with my mom getting rid of garden waste and saw what looked like a perfectly good couch being lifted onto it. I was incredulous. Fast-forward to university, and I was trying to earn some extra cash to stay afloat. I happened to notice a couch being given away for free on an online marketplace. I talked my mom into letting me borrow the family van and picked it up. I brought it to our garage, vacuumed it and relisted it for $100. It sold immediately.