2023-11-26T08:48:55-05:00

Let It Shine Again (L.I.S.A.) Thrift Boutique in Verplanck. Great shopping with proceeds stocking The Pantry downstairs.

November 26, 2023November 26, 2023/ToniOnThrifting.com/3 Comments

I have been to the Let It Shine Again Thrift Boutique at least three or four times and have left happy with some great finds each time. It is not a large boutique but packed with excellent women’s clothes, gorgeous jewelry and accessories, and beautiful household merchandise. The last trip yielded me a Banana Republic skirt and a beautiful Ann Taylor Loft sweater — a classic and elegant outfit. I have done well on each trip to this fabulous boutique. All proceeds from the Let It Shine Again (L.I.S.A.) Thrift Boutique, go to The Pantry, a food pantry conveniently located downstairs from L.I.S.A. The Pantry serves Cortlandt residents on Fridays from 11 am until 3 pm and other local area residents right after.

I spoke to Kacey Morabito Grean, the founder of Let It Shine Again Thrift Boutique. With help from her sister, Maria Morabito, Kacey started a food pantry on January 1, 2019, because she heard some teachers were buying snacks for students who didn’t have them. Kacey and Maria organized a group of volunteers using the basement of Mt. Carmel Hall – in partnership with the Society of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Because the community was so generous- they began to shower their food shoppers with all kinds of good things: clothes – backpacks – and housewares!

The Shiny Nose Room dedicated to Christmas

Kacey often said, “If we only had a thrift store, we could really serve our shoppers”! The overworked volunteers would laugh and tell her to stop with “all her ideas.” One of her “ideas” was to create a nonprofit to fundraise for their work, supporting families and creating events like women’s weekends and vendor markets. Let It Shine Inc. was born in March of 2020.

One of the devoted (and most helpful) volunteers, Nancy with my thrift haul.

And then – Covid hit. They went from serving 60 food shoppers weekly to 125 cars lined up the road. They quickly outgrew the basement of Mt. Carmel Hall. Town of Cortlandt Councilman Frank Farrell was instrumental in getting a generous lease of the original Town Hall building. It has two floors – so they wasted no time emptying their basements and attics to open the L.I.S.A. Thrift Boutique in February of 2021.

L.I.S.A. is open Wednesday through Saturday, and on a good week, it brings in enough to cover the food bill for The Pantry. The bar is very high at LISA. They only take the best of the best donations. They have no storage space and few volunteers, so they must find the easiest way to do things!

Kacey says, “We can sum up our mission in two words. “Ahh” and “Wow.” When shoppers come into our pantry, we want them to feel “ahh”: ease and abundance.” Kacey also wants food shoppers to walk upstairs into the L.I.S.A.; “We want them to feel wow!” Kacey said, “Beauty is the gift that elevates the spirit. Raising the vibration is what Let It Shine is all about.”

Let It Shine also offers free acupuncture treatment to Cortlandt area residents undergoing cancer treatment. This initiative is called “Gracie’s Way. This is just part of the many initiatives that Let It Shine provides. They have a Holiday Market on Sunday, December 3^rd, from 11 am until 4 pm at Mt. Carmel Hall on 8^th Street at Highland Ave in Verplanck, New York. They are helping so many others that I am happy to get the word out so they make more money to feed more families. Kacey is doing a fantastic job, but as more families need help, so does Let It Shine. Your shopping dollars are helping feed families!

L.I.S.A. “Let It Shine Again” Thrift Boutique
137 7th Street,
Verplanck, New York
Wednesdays 9 AM – 1 PM
Thursdays 9 AM – 1 PM
Fridays 11 A – 4 PM
Saturdays 9 AM – 1 PM
Donations by appointment. Email Info@LetItShineOnline.com
Please check out their website for specific information on donations.
http://www.LetItShineOnline.com

When you are in the area, you can also visit:

St. Patrick’s Thrift Shop
240 11th St. Verplanck
Monday & Wednesday & Saturday, 9:30 am-12:30 pm

Carriage House Thrift Shop
Church of Divine Love
80 Sunset Road Montrose
Thursday & Saturday 10 am – 2 pm September-June
10 am – 1 pm July and August.

The Mustard Seed
Reformed Church of Cortlandtown
Saturday 10-2, Sunday 11-2
2124 Albany Post Rd.
Montrose (914) 737-6482

Until next time, Happy Thrifting!

The Community Shop in Katonah – the shopping is excellent, and you are helping so many!

November 14, 2023/ToniOnThrifting.com/Leave a comment

The Community Shop in Katonah is a higher-end thrift shop, and it is impressive. They carry women’s clothes, shoes, and accessories. They also have men’s and children’s clothes and shoes. All the better brands are there, and inventory is constantly changing, which I can attest to. But what is more impressive is that all proceeds from the Community Shop go directly back to the Community Center. The Community Center of Northern Westchester currently supports 3,000 Northern Westchester struggling families by providing food and clothing assistance and the programs and resources to support their journey back to self-sufficiency.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Ann Hardy, the manager of the Community Shop. Ann had a consignment shop in Bedford Hills scheduled to close towards the end of February 2019. She donated all inventory (including the racks) from her shop to the Community Center, where all clothing donations are dropped off. She stayed on as a volunteer to help them open the Community Shop just one week later, in March 2019. After two months of volunteering and the shop being a success, she was hired by the Community Center as a full-time manager for the Community Shop. By talking to Ann, you can tell how passionate she is about her work and how the Community Shop’s proceeds go directly back into the community.

The Community Center in Katonah has been helping struggling families in Northern Westchester for over 30 years. All the clothing donations are donated through the Community Center, where there is a clothing boutique and food pantry where families can shop once a month without paying. It is helping families in great need while treating them with dignity and respect. Programs are offered for learning skills and language, among others, to help build a better life for the families they serve. Some other services/programs they provide are career counseling, free eye exams and eyeglasses, college application help, health screenings and flu shots, and citizen exam preparation. The Community Center has also provided comfort to over 600 seniors through food, clothing, and essential supplies.

Ninety-five percent of the clothing donations brought to the Community Center are given to needy families. The remaining small percentage is sent to the Community Shop where it is sold, and the money helps keep the food pantry stocked, programs running, and their doors open to help those in need. If you want to help, clothing is only accepted at the Community Center, located at 84 Bedford Road, Katonah. They welcome donations of clean, gently used, seasonal clothing, shoes, and linens. They accept fall and winter clothing from September through March and spring and summer clothing from March through August. (Unfortunately, the Center cannot accept undergarments, second-hand pajamas, uniforms, bathing suits, books, toys, or stuffed animals.) If you have donations of houseware items, please visit their friends at the Katonah Thrift Shop across the street at 71 Bedford Road in Katonah.

Ann Hardy and Linda, one of the volunteers from the Community Shop

They are currently having a SHARE THE WARMTH drive. During October and November, the Share the Warmth drive collects new gloves, hats, socks, and blankets for children (infants through age 18). They will distribute these items during December. They gratefully accept donations when the Center is open. Please see their Share the Warmth page for details about the program. I have only told you a fraction of what they do – visit their website to learn all they do for the Northern Westchester Community. https://communitycenternw.org/

The Community Shop is located at 196 Katonah Avenue and is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11 AM until 5 PM. The number is 914.401.9163, and Ann Hardy’s email is ahardy@communitycenternw.org. Besides the great shopping at the Community Shop, you are helping the lives of so many families in their time of need.

Until next time, Happy Thrifting!

The Outreach Clothing Sale at the Church of St. Barnabas- One of the most popular sales in Westchester!

November 4, 2023November 4, 2023/ToniOnThrifting.com/2 Comments

The Outreach Clothing Sale has become one of the most popular and well-attended sales in Westchester County. This is because they have high-quality clothing at bargain basement prices. The sale opens to the public on Wednesday, November 8^th, and I assure you that there will be a long line starting early in the morning. It is well worth it to get the best merchandise. I have always found that I get the most for my money at this sale. This sale includes men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories. It covers a few rooms and has a boutique rack with designer and vintage items. The pictures featured are for next week’s sale!

This is also one sale where the men’s section is just as phenomenal as the women’s. Everything from tee shirts, shorts, polos, long and short-sleeve tops, sweaters, coats and jackets, pants and jeans, and so much more. And when you go, you must visit the shoe section. I purchased some nice boots a couple of years ago.

I spoke to Linda Pierpont, one of the founders of the sale and a parishioner for 34 years. The first sale was in 1995. It has grown significantly yearly, and the sale proceeds have reached over one million dollars. Just a few of the dozens of organizations that have received grants from St. Barnabas include ARC Westchester Foundation, Blthyedale Children’s Hospital, Greenburgh Nature Center, Irvington Senior Citizen Center, New Rochelle Humane Society, Phelps Hospice, Habitat for Humanity, Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers Foundation and that is to name a few.

Linda said that two of the most significant aspects of the Outreach Clothing sale are the sustainability factor, which keeps clothes out of landfills and gives them new purpose, and the fact that she gets to work with such outstanding people with a common goal in mind of helping the planet and others. Linda also wanted me to mention that donations for this sale far exceeded last year’s donations, and there will be some great finds for all.

If you go to only a few sales a year, I must insist you take advantage of this one!! I hope the pictures give you an idea of what an extraordinary sale this is!!

For those who donated to the sale, the preview day is Tuesday, November 7^th – keep that in mind so next year you contribute to get in that extra day early!!!!

2023 Outreach Clothing Sale

The Church of St. Barnabas

15 North Broadway

Irvington, New York

Wednesday, November 8: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm & 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Thursday, November 9: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm & 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Friday, November 10: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm & 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Saturday, November 11: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Don’t miss this sale, and until next time, Happy Thrifting!

ToniOnThrifting