How you can help local charities simply by going shopping
Thrifty shoppers know a bargain when they see one. Ask any penny pincher where to find the best deals and you repeatedly hear “resale shops.” But all these stores are not created equal. While some shops do fine operating strictly for profit, some local charities rely greatly on resale stores for revenue.
Chattanooga charities have been around as long as frugality finders. Chambliss Center for Children recently celebrated its 147th year in the area. But it was only 11 years ago the center decided to open a thrift store in Brainerd.
“Our Brainerd store makes about $160,000 a year in revenue,” says Lesley Berryhill, Director of Communications for Chambliss Center. “These funds go directly to help the nearly 700 children we help every day in the area. Everything from 24-hour childcare, extended childcare, foster and adoption services, and finally to help these young adults when they age out until they are 21.”
But beside the obvious benefits the thrift store provides, some bargain hunters look at resale store shopping as sport.
“I get how it can be a hobby or addiction or whatever you want to call it,” jokes Berryhill. “Every time I go I leave with something.”
Some shoppers may think of thrift stores or resale shops as cheap or unwanted goods, but they would be mistaken.
“We get high-quality furniture and clothing on a daily basis,” says Brianne Lalor, Chief Development Officer for Northside Neighborhood House. “Our board and their network of friends are a tremendous help in helping keep the store stocked.”NNH is celebrating its 30th year of running a retail store on the North Shore and in that time they have developed quite a following.
“It’s a place to shop, vent and hangout,” says Lalor. “But it’s not just a thrift store. We build a relationship not only with our clients but with all the regulars who also come in.”
NNH has been serving citizens north of the river since 1924, which includes adult supplemental education classes, a children’s education program and a teen program.
While NNH has operated its store from the same location for decades, Partnership for Families, Children and Adults recently moved its store from Hixson to the MLK Neighborhood. PFCA is mainly known for their domestic violence and transitional living services as well as the area’s only rape crisis center.
“The revitalization of the area has really helped our new store in its first year,” says PFCA Retail Development Manager Allison Griffith. “We get a lot of foot traffic from all kinds of people in the area and sort of operate as a boutique more than a thrift store.”
Griffith echoes Lalor’s sentiment in that she’s thankful for all the high-quality goods continuing to roll in.
“You can go to a regular retail store and find 50 items that are exactly the same,” says Berryhill. “Or you can come to one of our thrift stores and leave with a one-of-a-kind treasure.”