06/18/2026
Dear FREE HART friends, the time has come for this project to move on. Our last day of operation at Semilla Cafe will be September 25, 2026.
When I launched this offering in 2022, we were filling a gap in the art market. There wasn't anywhere to trade art supplies publicly in CT. Today, four years later, there is an ABUNDANCE of art supply swaps and second-hand shops in CT! It's so beautiful to witness.
I truly had one goal: make art more accessible to adults. Well, I feel pretty good about where CT and Greater Hartford have landed on that front--what are some of your favorite places that have popped up?
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for everything you've poured into this project. To everyone who volunteered to staff the space, to everyone who donated supplies for other people to use, to everyone who contributed financially to help us keep our doors open and offer workshops, to everyone who hosted a workshop, to everyone who told a friend about us, to all of you -- we couldn't have done this without you.
Yes, you can continue to donate and shop at FREE HART until our last day! Anything left when we close will be redonated to another one of the art supply swaps in the state.
I'm compiling a list of places around the state where you can continue to donate your new and gently used art supplies for other people to enjoy. I hope for it to be a "living" document, so people can continue to add things I may have missed. Stay tuned!
If you have questions drop them below and I'll do one big response.
