Re Baker-Dietz is the CEO and founder of Arrow Creative Reuse in Springfield.
Re Baker-Dietz is in the business of creativity. In 2022, she led the start of Arrow Creative Reuse, a nonprofit thrift store for donated art supplies in Springfield. The mission is two-fold: It keeps the materials — yarn, fabric, old photos, frames, paint, eclectic gifts and more — out of landfills and gets them into creative hands at a fraction of the cost.
“With the current climate, art is more important than ever right now, and expression is how we stay human,” Baker-Dietz says. “That’s why this is such a force of nature right now. People need a place to go and come together and make things.”
That need is felt. The response to Arrow’s opening was so positive that the store relocated in late 2025 to a larger building. The move allowed the Shoe Tree Listening Room, an associated alcohol-free music venue, to join under the same roof.
Arrow is also home to classes and creative events like the Midwest MidBEST Crankie Fest. The annual festival, celebrating an old-fashioned storytelling format, is set to return in June. It has received funding from the Springfield Regional Arts Council’s Arts & Culture Grant Program, which is supported and administered by the CFO.
That said, much of Arrow’s work is supported by donation. In addition to the contributed supplies, volunteers — who comprise 90% of Arrow’s manpower — give time processing the materials. Financial donations are also welcome. That collective effort builds community.
“I stopped drinking seven years ago, and that was like a starting-over point for me,” she says. “I was like, ‘What am I going to do with myself and my life? I need to find something I enjoy, and I enjoy art and I enjoy getting supplies to people who need it.’ I really like helping people find things that they’re looking for.”
Who inspires you? Send your suggestions of individuals moving the needle in your community to Kaitlyn McConnell, the CFO's writer in residence, at kmcconnell@cfozarks.org.
