August 17th is National Thrift Shop Day. We all know that I think it should be a national holiday. I love my thrift shopping – both shopping and writing about it. Why do people love thrift shopping? Why do I love thrift shopping? The thrill of the hunt is looking for that great find. The chance to create your style and make a fashion statement. The ability to save money by not shopping in expensive department stores. Secondhand and vintage clothes are better quality than today’s fast fashion. Even thrift stores have sales. Help your community by supporting local thrift shops that use their proceeds to help people in their communities. It gives you a chance to keep updating your wardrobe at reasonable prices. If you dislike a purchase, you can donate it right back.
Most importantly, by thrift shopping, you are saving the planet and keeping clothes out of landfills. These are just some of the reasons why we all love thrift shopping. I have been thrift shopping for over forty years, and it brings me great joy and is my passion. There is no better way to enjoy a few hours than by going to a thrift shop and just looking through all the racks hoping to find those unique pieces that I will buy and love for years to come.
My mom passed on her obsession of all things antique or vintage. I love to go thrift store shopping or explore any sort of garage sale. Treasure hunting is a family passion.
Thrift shopping is really just an extension of me being that same kid and going into a place that’s completely unconventional that has really endless possibilities in terms of outfits that you can put together and really just expressing yourself.
I am a theater girl, and a lot of theater girls dress however pleases them. I wear whatever looks good on me. I wear what I wear because I have been shopping at thrift stores since I was five.
The whole thing of clothes is insane. You can spend a dollar on a jacket in a thrift store. And you can spend a thousand dollars on a jacket in a shop. And if you saw those two jackets walking down the street, you probably wouldn’t know which was which.
Natalie Joos On her advice for new vintage shoppers: “Never shop for something specific. Just browse. Don’t expect to find what you were looking for. It never works. Either go for cool pieces that stand out and are unique (you will keep them longer) or go for the big designer pieces that will last you a lifetime. Don’t buy things you know you will dispose of. Try stuff on. Vintage was made for smaller people. But don’t be afraid to buy things too big. Alterations are common when buying vintage. You don’t want to miss a cool piece just because it’s too big. Too small is not recommended!” —Elle, February 2013
Winona Ryder “Most of my wardrobe is vintage and I’ve worn dresses to the Oscars that I got for $10. At Sean Penn’s last Haiti gala I wore this vintage dress that I’d worn to a film premiere in 2005. I know that’s kind of a no-no in the fashion world, but why wear something just once if you love it?” —Red, April 2014
Tracee Ellis Ross “I buy a lot of vintage because, well, it’s AMAZING! And truthfully you can get great stuff for not a lot of money. I have a passion for vintage clothing because of the quality and uniqueness of the pieces (you don’t really have to worry about showing up in the same outfit as someone else). To update some of my vintage finds or sometimes just to make them fit, I have the help of a fabulous seamstress and dressmaker, Daniela Kurrle. She really is stupendous and our collaborations have resulted in some of my favorite dresses in my closet.” —her site, February 2013
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.”
Lisa, a devoted volunteer at The Pantry
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 3rd, from 11 am until 4 pm at Mt. Carmel Hall on 8th 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
August 17th is National Thrift Shop Day. We all know that I think it should be a national holiday. I love my thrift shopping – both shopping and writing about it.
When you shop The Ridgefield Thrift Shop, My Sister’s Place, St. Bart’s, The Back Door Thrift Shop (blog coming soon), Cauz For Pawz, New Canaan Thrift Shop, and countless others, you are supporting PHENOMENAL causes and helping change countless lives. Not to mention that we are helping save the planet by keeping clothes out of landfills. “Reduce, reuse, and recycle” is my motto.
In honor of National Thrift Shop Day, here are some quick tips for thrift shopping. Although this blog is a repeat, there are some new tips included.
Be friendly and ask the staff when the most new merchandise is put out.
Be kind when thrift shopping, most of the people who work at charitable thrift shops are volunteers, and they have already spent hours filling the racks. If you put items back, put them back on the right rack.
Know your labels and brands – know what to invest in for your basic wardrobe pieces and what to buy for fun.
Don’t buy something just because it is a name or designer brand; make sure you love the piece and will wear it. More often than not, you will not wear it if you are buying it by name.
Remember, if you buy an item and it needs alterations, the alterations can cost two to three times what you paid. Choose wisely when buying a piece that needs to be altered.
The smaller thrift shops sometimes have the best buys.
Sign up for your favorite thrift shop’s email list so you know when the sales are.
ENJOY the hunt, and know that you may not always find something. Just keep going back when you find a thrift shop you love.
Merchandise is also very geographical, so go out of your own area, and you will be surprised at how different (in a good way) the merchandise is.
I have recently heard from many thrift store managers that people are dropping off unusable merchandise. Please know that some smaller thrift shops have to pay to have garbage hauled off. Please only drop off clean and in good condition items.
I hope you find these tips helpful.
Thank you for reading – if you like my blogs, please like my Facebook page: TonionThrifting
What makes The Turnover Shop different from other thrift shops is that they consign clothes as well as sell donated clothes. This makes The Turnover Shop a well-visited destination for thrift shop lovers. Located in the center of Wilton, CT, and open six days a week, Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM and Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM, it continually gains popularity and has a high turnover rate. They carry a full line of women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing, shoes, antiques, housewares, games, books, jewelry, and small furnishings.
I went through racks and racks of clothing and found a beautiful sweater, jacket, and a couple of other household items, and I spent at most $30. They also happened to have a phenomenal sale, which made it easy. The shoe selection alone was too tempting, not to mention the jewelry and accessories. I know I was not alone because the store was crowded during my visit.
I had the pleasure of speaking to Sharon Sobel, the President of the Turnover Shop. She told me that what makes the Turnover Shop special is that customers who consign can donate the proceeds of their sales to a non-profit of their choice if that organization opens a consignment account to receive the funds. It is a great way to support a favorite local charity. The Turnover Shop donates proceeds from their store sales to many organizations, such as the PTA of Wilton, Visiting Nurse & Hospice, CT Humane Society, and ABC House, to name a few. All the volunteers love working at the Turnover Shop and look forward to their shifts there. I had a lovely visit with Sharon and saw the store. You can see that they have a very loyal customer base, and people are happy to shop there and are friendly with the staff.
Here is some history from their website: Founded over 75 years ago by a group of volunteers dedicated to serving the community’s needs, The Turnover has kept that tradition of service and generosity alive as we have evolved to help each generation. Our hard work reflects every lifestyle and fashion, and our current team of over 130 volunteers remains committed to the prospect of always being creative and innovative. Thousands of satisfied customers continue to validate their hard work.
A visit to the Turnover Shop should be on your must-see thrift shop list.
The New Canaan Thrift Shop is remarkable, impressive, and unique in many ways. It is not just impressive because I found one of my all-time favorite bargains ($65), a Pottery Barn bedspread for a fraction of the cost. The quilt was something I had wanted for a while but was not willing to spend the $300 to buy it new. It was in excellent, nearly new condition, and I am thrilled with this purchase. It is also remarkable because every time I go there, The New Canaan Thrift Shop has a wide variety of merchandise that is nothing short of amazing. I commend the volunteers on the eye-catching displays and the boutique feel of the shop.
They have three levels and carry men’s, women’s, shoes, teens, children’s, babies, and toddlers’ clothes. They have an office section, a pet corner, luggage, linens, housewares and beautiful crystal, dinnerware, and serveware. Their clothes are reasonably priced for the names that you are getting. They carry Vineyard Vines, McLaughlin, Tory Burch, Coach, Ralph Lauren, and many other high-quality clothing brands, and their sales are great.
They have a fantastic selection of toys, games, puzzles, and children’s books. Their unique sports section contains golf clubs, skis, snowboards, lacrosse sticks, tennis racquets, ice skates, and other sports equipment – all good quality for a fraction of what you would pay in a sporting goods store.
What is impressive about the New Canaan Thrift Shop is that all the proceeds support the patient care Fund of Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Fairfield County, a member of the Waveny Lifecare Network. As someone whose family used hospice when my mom was sick, I know how incredible, compassionate, and kind the hospice community is. I am in awe of the New Canaan Thrift Shop for supporting and helping their community with their proceeds. While at the thrift shop, I was happy to meet with Stella Clarke, the Executive Director of Community Engagement and Volunteering. Stella is an extraordinary woman devoted to the Waveny Care Network and its mission to help families at the most challenging time of their lives. I commend Stella, Ulrike (Store Manager), and all the dedicated volunteers I met.
The history of the New Canaan Thrift Shop is fascinating. While 2 Locust Ave is not its original location, the building they are in now has quite a history. It was constructed in 1840 by prohibitionist Joseph Scofield. He wanted to lease the building to the Young Men’s Total Abstinence Society. That did not work as planned, as the movement did not go very far. And in 1856, Scofield sold the building to Russell Hall, who sold coffins and furniture, and for years, it was known as “The Old Morgue,” as it is historically known in New Canaan. The building was sold, and fast forward to 1928 when the building was sold to the Veterans Club. In 1930, The Visiting Nurse Association volunteer Thrift Shop was founded to raise funds to support the charitable mission by selling used clothing. So here we are almost a hundred years later, and they are still going strong and more vital than ever.
August 17th is National Thrift Shop Day. We all know that I think it should be a national holiday. I love my thrift shopping – both shopping and writing about it. Why do people love thrift shopping? Why do I love thrift shopping? The thrill of the hunt is looking for that great find. The chance to create your style and make a fashion statement. The ability to save money by not shopping in expensive department stores. Secondhand and vintage clothes are better quality than today’s fast fashion. Even thrift stores have sales. Help your community by supporting local thrift shops that use their proceeds to help people in their communities. It gives you a chance to keep updating your wardrobe at reasonable prices. If you dislike a purchase, you can donate it right back.
Most importantly, by thrift shopping, you are saving the planet and keeping clothes out of landfills. These are just some of the reasons why we all love thrift shopping. I have been thrift shopping for over forty years, and it brings me great joy and is my passion. There is no better way to enjoy a few hours than by going to a thrift shop and just looking through all the racks hoping to find those unique pieces that I will buy and love for years to come.
The IFCA (Interfaith Council for Action) Thrift Shop in Ossining was a delightful surprise. They had a good selection, and the pricing was outstanding. $3.00 tee shirts and $4.00 for shirts/blouses, $5.00 for jeans and pants, $5.00 for handbags, $5 to $10 for jackets, $8 to $15 for dresses, baby, and children’s clothes, $1.50 to $3.00, shoes $2.50 and up. Household items can be found for anywhere between $1 to $35. The clothes and housewares were in excellent condition, and the selection was sizeable. I was impressed with the children’s section as they had a good selection and affordable pricing—the same for the jewelry, accessories, and linens.
The first IFCA thrift store opened approximately eight years ago on Spring Street in Ossining. The Thrift Shop moved to a larger space earlier this year at 95 Croton Avenue and is doing well. The store was busy while I was there. I spoke to Amy, the manager, and she said that there is a high turnover of merchandise, and I could see from the donations and sales that this is true. The store layout is open and easy to navigate, and the displays are appealing. They have an all-volunteer staff and are always looking for new volunteers to help with the shop and sorting donations.
Proceeds from the Thrift Shop fund IFCA’s community programs. IFCA was established in 1968 and provides a range of affordable housing development, property management, and supportive services to low and moderate-income people. IFCA owns and manages affordable apartments in Ossining and Tarrytown, NY. It is also a pioneer in developing transitional housing for the homeless, currently maintaining 16 units through Westchester County’s Emergency Housing Apartment Program (EHAP). Additionally, IFCA has adopted innovative community service programs to help hundreds of people beyond its tenant base, including financial literacy programs and job training. What better reasons do you need than to shop and help Ossining and the local communities? Bravo IFCA.
Amy and the amazing IFCA volunteers
IFCA Thrift Shop
95 Croton Avenue Ossining, NY 10562 Across the street from CTown
Whether the pandemic or other unforeseen circumstances, these great thrift shops have had to temporarily close or close permanently. This list contains some truly amazing thrift shops. I wish all their staff an abundance of gratitude for their work and good wishes for the future. I appreciate all the hard work and dedication of all thrift shops. Especially the charity shops which survive solely on the goodness and time of their volunteers.
It is not an easy business but thankfully, becoming more and more popular as time goes on.
Let’s all go out this weekend and support our favorite thrift shops in honor of these amazing shops that have brought us great joy not to mention some amazing finds.
And here is the list:
Westchester County:
St Thomas Church Thrift Shop in Mamaroneck has temporarily closed.
Goodwill in New Rochelle in Westchester County has permanently closed.
New Rochelle Humane Society Thrift Shop has permanently closed.
Finders Keepers Thrift Shop in Mahopac is permanently closed.
The Thrift Shop in White Plains is temporarily closed.
August 17th is National Thrift Shop Day. We all know that I think it should be a national holiday. I love my thrift shopping – both shopping and writing about it.
When you shop The Ridgefield Thrift Shop, My Sister’s Place, Salvation Army, Habitat For Humanity, Cauz For Pawz, Housing Works, and countless others, you are supporting PHENOMENAL causes and helping change countless lives.
In honor of National Thrift Shop day, here are some quick tips for thrift shopping:
Be friendly and ask the staff when the most new merchandise is put out.
Be kind when thrift shopping, most of the people who work at charitable thrift shops are volunteers and they have already spent hours filling the racks. If you are putting items back, put them back on the right rack.
Know your labels and brands – know what to invest in for your basic wardrobe pieces and what to buy for fun.
Don’t buy something just because it is your favorite brand, make sure you love the piece and will wear it.
Remember if you buy an item and it needs alterations, the alterations can cost two to three times what you paid. Choose wisely when buying a piece that needs to be altered.
The smaller thrift shops sometimes have the best buys.
Sign up for for your favorite thrift shop’s email list so you know when the sales are.
ENJOY the hunt and know that you may not always find something. Just keep going back when you find a thrift shop you love.
Merchandise is also very geographical so go out of your own area and you will be surprised at how different (in a good way) the merchandise is.
I hope you find these tips helpful.
Thank you for reading – if you like my blogs, please like my Facebook page: TonionThrifting
