Thrift Better
Goodwill is convenient, but commercial, and religious charities may discriminate in distribution efforts. What to do? Most areas have at least a few thrift and resale stores designed to benefit a specific target cause: DV victims, immigrants or animals. Specialty thrifts may also focus on a particular kind of goods that other stores reject. ReStore specializes in building supplies and benefits home building.
How to do it:
Thrift and resale stores are an effective way to reduce commercialism, but like any other business they vary. Most areas have somewhere that can recycle spent electronics, take in unused home repair goods like leftover tile, or curate better-quality clothing for a cause. Spend some time identifying options in your area.
Start by asking on social media! Your friends may already know the best places to donate or shop. Crowdsource local info—make social media useful again by asking publicly! If that doesn’t bring up what you need, make a list of all the thrift stores in your area by searching online. Investigate each one: what do they accept? Do you need an appointment? Where do the profits go? Choose a few that fit your lifestyle for donating or shopping, and visit them. If you find one you love, spread the word!
Here are some resources for finding specialty thrift stores in your area:
- Here is a nation-wide master list for thrift stores specializing in craft supplies.
- ReStore : Habitat for Humanity runs recycling centers nationwide. They take and sell building materials from cabinets to flooring. Proceeds support their home-building work.
- Half Price Books is a for-profit business, but they accept all the books you bring, and donate books in good quality that they can’t sell to literacy efforts. You won’t get top-dollar, but they do make it easy to keep books out of the landfill and get them to organizations that need them.
- This Fabric master list has options by state (but it’s a little outdated.)
- Play it Again Sports specializes in athletic gear.
Here are a few examples of specialty stores near us:
Seattle Recreative : accepts and sells art supplies. Proceeds fund art classes and community art projects. Olympia has one, too: Lost & Found Crafts Portland has two: Reclaim It and SCRAP
Bella’s Voice : accepts general items with proceeds helping to keep animals with their families
A note on the Salvation Army: for many years progressives avoided them due to open, sometimes egregious discrimination against potential clients in the LGBTQ community. While their religious perspective is unchanged, they officially embrace all clients now. The choice is yours.
