Thrift shops offer variety, value in recycled goodsDate: 7/19/2018 GREATER SPRINGFIELD – Thrift stores were created with America’s working class in mind. While they still serve that purpose, thrifting has evolved into a trendy hobby and way of life for many.
According to the Google Dictionary, the definition of a thrift store is “a store selling secondhand clothes and other household goods, typically to raise funds for a charitable institution.”
Thanks to the recent rise of modern hipsterism, and a rapidly growing environmental movement, a number of millennials have moved toward a more sustainable way of living – including thrifting. A 2018 ThredUp Fashion Resale Report found that millennials thrift more than any other generation.
Thrift stores have the ability to help communities and individuals in need by providing them with affordable clothing; creating a sustainable market; benefiting the environment; improving health; and reducing waste.
Because of this, Reminder Publications decided to take a closer look at some of the area’s collection of nonprofit and for-profit thrift stores.
Survival Center
Our first stop is at the Community Survival Center located at 240 Main St. in Indian Orchard. The Center is a 34-year-old non-profit agency that helps families struggling to provide the basics, such as food, clothing and household items. Although it’s a smaller thrift operation, it packs a big punch. The organization is unique in that it consists of three components: a food pantry, a standard thrift store and a “modified” thrift store.
The emergency pantry is the Center’s main focus. Donated items, like canned goods, make up a majority of the food inventory. The Center also receives food from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The pantry serves about 25 households every day, and covers Ludlow, Wilbraham and Hampden, as well as the 16 Acres, Pine Point and Indian Orchard neighborhoods in Springfield.
If you’re a low-income senior over the age of 65, you may qualify for its senior food program, which offers 15 to 21 pounds of food per senior every month – individuals not involved in the senior program may visit the pantry up to six times per year.
Both of its thrift operations support the food pantry.
The Bridge of Hope Thrift Shop is open to the public and sells donated clothing and accessories, with shirts and blouses costing around $3 per item.
“We get a lot of nice things, some are brand new and not used at all,” said Retail Manager Maureen Moses. “We look for stains, broken zippers, rips or anything that you wouldn’t use yourself. We won’t give it to them if you wouldn’t use it yourself.”
Around 20 to 25 volunteers help the eight staff members keep the thrift shop in top shape. All clothing items are organized by color and gender.
If a clothing item doesn’t quite match the quality required by the thrift shop – but is still useable – it will be sent to the Clothing and Household Goods Program.
“When you go into thrift, it’s like any other store – you go in and pick up an item you like and you buy it. Everything is sold by the piece,” explained Moses. “When you go into the Clothing and Household program, the first thing you do is buy a brown paper bag for $5. You can fill it with clothing and anybody can shop there. We also have a larger bag for $7 for our household cubby.”
The retail manager added that shoppers can fit around 30 items of summer clothing into a $5 bag. The household section features anything from blenders to mugs and other appliances.
The Thrift Shop and Clothing and Household Program hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church and an international non-profit organization. Its message is based on the bible, and the organization reports a worldwide membership of over 1.5 million, consisting of soldiers, officers and adherents collectively known as Salvationists. The Army assists approximately 25 million Americans annually, and serves 130 countries around the globe.
Since 1865, its mission has been to combat drug and alcohol addictions. The organization uses funds from its thrift stores – located across the country – to support its Adult Rehabilitation Centers and Harbor Light Programs, which extend spiritual, emotional and social assistance to “those who have lost the ability to cope with their problems and provide for themselves.”
The free programs provide housing, food, counseling and employment.
The Army has five thrift stores in Western Massachusetts.
The Boston Road location in Springfield is clean, organized and sells gently used clothing for reasonable prices. The store also has a small collection of vintage vinyl, books and furniture.
“There’s always a misconception that thrift stores are dirty, frumpy stores, but ours are definitely not,” said Salvation Army Administrator and Lieutenant David B. Wetzel Jr. “We make sure we have a bright, clean environment so that the shoppers have a good experience.”
The store has trained “pricers” who have knowledge in pricing certain items based on quality, style and condition, he explained.
Clothing items range from $1 to $10, and have featured brands like Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch.
When asked about the growing trend in thrifting, Wetzel attributed it to the positives of donating and shopping at the stores.
“The benefits of donating are obvious – they’re supporting a cause. Not every thrift store is nonprofit, our thrift store income directly funds this drug and alcohol program for people who would not be able to afford it otherwise. They’re also doing good by recycling their goods because we save a lot of stuff from going to the dump,” he said. “The benefits of shopping at stores is, again, you’re helping people with addictions and other life issues while getting a bargain because a lot of our stuff is high-end name brands.”
The Boston Road location hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Goodwill
Goodwill is another well-known thrift giant. The nonprofit organization provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people that have barriers preventing them from obtaining jobs. The entity is funded by a massive network of retail thrift stores, which operate as nonprofits as well. The stores provide affordable clothes, housewares and other items for individuals and families looking to stretch their dollars.
There are several Goodwill thrift stores in the region, including one on Sumner Avenue and another on Parker Street in Springfield.
“People love to shop thrift and they love to shop at Goodwill. At Goodwill, you find things you can't find anywhere else at a great price,” said Director of Communications James Harder. “With so many big box stores, it’s fun to go into a store where you can find one-of-a-kind items and also items that you really need at an affordable price.”
Savers
Unlike the other thrift stores featured in this article, Savers is the only for-profit, global thrift retailer. The organization uses a “Rethink Reuse” business model of purchasing, reselling and recycling, while offering quality, gently-used clothing, accessories and household goods. Savers keeps more than 700 million pounds of used goods from the landfill each year.
Although it’s for-profit, the organization helps more than 100 non-profit organizations by purchasing donated goods from them, providing a source of revenue to help support their community programs and services.
“Our mission is improving lives with the power of re-use,” said Community Donations Manager Taurean Jones. “Everything we get in store is donated by customers and the community. Items that we don’t use, we send to third-world countries.”
The West Springfield location boasts a diverse selection of furniture, jewelry, and clothes. The employees are friendly and the store is full of charming items, including vases, porcelain dolls and picture frames.
“As far as shopping goes, you can save money,” added Jones. “At the big box stores, you go there and you’re paying a high price for some of the same items you can get here. People are donating every day, non-stop.”
Savers’ department store-like format makes for good year-round shopping, especially if you’re in the market for a decent suit jacket, nicely broken-in pair of jeans or a Keurig coffee maker.
The West Side Savers is currently partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampden County, which provides professionally-supported one-to-one relationships to children struggling with adversity.
The store’s hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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