When a Bloomberg TV producer reached out to interview me, my first reaction was: is this a prank?
Bloomberg TV covers global finance, technology, and major industry trends. What could
they possibly want with a woman in Oakland who sells and recycles mannequins?
Turns out, bloomberg.com regularly profiles businesses making a real sustainability
impact — and they wanted to tell the story of how Mannequin Madness keeps thousands of mannequins out of landfills every year.
Watch the full Bloomberg TV segment below:
What We Do (And Why It Matters)
When major retail chains like REI, Bebe, Nordstrom, The Gap, and Nike remodel or
close stores, they’re left with mannequins they no longer need. Most of those
mannequins are in perfectly good condition — they’re just unwanted. Without an
alternative, they’d end up in a landfill.
That’s where we come in.
Mannequin Madness hauls away those mannequins, gives them a second life, and sells
them at deeply discounted prices to a wide range of buyers — small boutiques,photographers, costume designers, prop stylists, and Halloween display artists.
At the time the Bloomberg segment was filmed, we were recycling close to 100,000
mannequins every three months. Since then, we’ve expanded our operations to a
national level — and we’re recycling even more, keeping millions of pounds of
mannequins out of landfills every year.
Recycling, for us, doesn’t always mean turning one thing into something entirely new.
Sometimes it means connecting a mannequin that still has useful life with someone who
needs it. Other times, we upcycle mannequin parts into one-of-a-kind furniture and art
pieces. Either way, nothing goes to waste if we can help it.
If mannequins arrive damaged or broken, they go to what we lovingly call our
Mannequin Boneyard — where artists, prop stylists, and Halloween enthusiasts shop for parts and pieces for their creative projects.
Want to Be Part of the Story?
Have mannequins to recycle?
If your retail business is remodeling, downsizing, or closing, we make it easy to
responsibly recycle your mannequins instead of sending them to the landfill.
[Contact us to learn more →] (Judi: link to your Contact Us or Recycling page)
Looking for a unique space to rent?
The Oakland warehouse you see in this video is available for photo shoots, music
videos, pop-ups, and creative productions. It’s 3,200 square feet of raw, character-filled
industrial space in a historic former cotton mill — and yes, the mannequins are part of
the vibe.
*A big thank you to Bloomberg TV for shining a light on how “a bunch of stiffs anddummies” can make a real difference — one mannequin at a time.*
Visit our website to shop for mannequins and dress forms, rent display pieces, or recycle your old mannequins.
