Fall is the perfect time for deals at local thrift shops
Jennifer Cochran
September 15, 2008
September brings an end to summer and a new crop of donations to local thrift stores at the close of yard-sale season. It might seem that just as they have managed to dig themselves out from under the mountains of clothing, furniture, books, house wares and other goods donated by students leaving town in June, thrift shops once again find their bins full and their loading docks buried as yard-sale leftovers flow in.
At a time when it’s cool to be “green” and the economy leaves a lot to be desired, local thrift stores are thriving and providing an attractive alternative to retail stores for students and other community members looking to set up their rental apartment or house.
According to New to You manager Debbie Hatfield local shoppers come to the Columbus Road store because “it’s less expensive and we also offer delivery.” For a small fee, buyers can have their new couch, bed, chair or other large item delivered to their house or apartment. “We have beds — we have plenty of furniture — we have all kinds of knickknacks, bedding, lights and more,” said Hatfield.
Charlie Ward, manager of the ReUse Thrift Store on Columbus Road, said that customers should come to ReUse because of the lower prices they offer. “We basically have everything a retail store has,” said Ward. Shoppers looking for small appliances like toasters and televisions can find those at the ReUse store in Athens, whereas consumers seeking larger appliances such as washers and dryers can find what they need at the ReUse farm west of Albany on U.S. Rt. 50.
This year Athens thrift shoppers have even more opportunities for bargain-hunting with the addition of a Goodwill store on East State Street. “Athens as a community has been head over heels with getting a Goodwill,” said assistant manager Stacia Carr. “As a thrifter myself, I’m thrilled that there’s one more place to go.” According to Carr, shoppers can find high-quality, gently used, or even new household items at Goodwill. “The generous people of our community donate items and we make them available for people at a fair price,” explained Carr.
Low prices are a big draw for Abigail Akyeampong, a Hocking College nursing student who lives in an Athens apartment and shops for kids’ clothes, books, artwork and household items at New to You and the ReUse Thrift Store. Akyeampong said she generally shops for larger items for her apartment once a year — when the students leave town. Some of her favorite bargains have included saucepans and a brand new punch bowl for only $5, according to Akyeampong.
As with many local establishments, the thrift stores experience something of a surge in traffic with the return of Ohio University students in the fall. Carr said she had noticed an increase in traffic as the students came back to Athens.
New to You manager Debbie Hatfield agreed. “We do get a lot of students, and we have our regulars as well who come in every day,” she said.
For shoppers looking for even lower prices than those normally found at the local thrift stores, special discounts and sales provide ample opportunity to find bargains. New to You features half-off sales during the first three days of each month and offers a $6 bag sale on the 15th of each month. And for those looking to fill their bookshelves on the cheap, the 25th of each month finds books on sale for only 25 cents each. Goodwill offers a daily senior discount of 10 percent and sometimes has markdown racks.
The ReUse Thrift Store is offering a 25 percent discount for students with valid OU, Hocking or Rio Grande identification through the end of September. During the second week of each month, ReUse shoppers can purchase a garbage bagful of clothes for $4.
Aside from the low prices, many thrift store customers shop there to find unique items — from vintage clothes to home furnishings and décor. “You don’t get anything that’s cookie cutter here,” said Goodwill’s Carr. “You can express your own style.” And, because donations are always coming in, that means the merchandise constantly changes, according to Carr.
Marie DeMange Stolz, who rents on the west side of Athens, said she enjoys shopping at Reuse and New to You. “I shop there to find super-cheap and vintage/funky decor or sometimes even practical items for the house,” said DeMange Stolz, whose last local thrift store purchases were three alarm clocks and several small vintage crystal pieces. “Usually when I go to these shops, I am looking for something specific, so oftentimes I leave with nothing,” she said.
Shoppers can feel good about the dollars they spend outfitting their homes at all three local thrift stores. Local thrift-shop purchases help support the local economy through job creation and aid various social programs. Goodwill Industries provides jobs and job training as well as social programs such as a sheltered workshop in Chillicothe, according to Carr. New to You profits support local foster-children programming. The ReUse Thrift Store is part of ReUse Industries, a community non-profit and tax-exempt organization “that saves reusables from the landfill to support a sustainable economy, protect our environment, and create jobs,” according to their Web site (www.reuseindustries.org).
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