Thrift stores fill an important community need

Who doesn’t love thrift stores? They are places where you can buy almost anything for a really good deal. Things like furniture, electronics, books, and clothing. Yes, nearly all of these items have been used in some way but most people don’t seem to mind that.

Except it wasn’t always this way, there was a time before when thrift shopping was looked down upon. In America when clothes became more widely available, they were considered disposable objects. So Jewish immigrants saw an opportunity to begin selling used clothing from push carts. But many viewed the clothing as unsanitary. Those that did buy clothing from push carts were seen as lower class. It wasn’t until around the 1890s that religious groups started selling used clothing as an act of charity.

This is what eventually turned into what we consider as thrift stores today. Though it must be stated that not each thrift store is the same. Some have more especially desired items, bigger inventories, or have a twist. So there comes a question of how our local thrift stores operate.

The Attic owned by Ben Bersie is a unique type of thrift store as it makes most of its sales online through eBay. He has been buying and selling things for about 20 to 25 years. He is a very experienced thrifter as he knows when to buy things at the lowest price possible and how to sell them at their highest. He specializes in high price collector items.

He gets many of his items from garage sales. He stated that he typically is able to hit up to 2000 to 5000 garage sales per year. He can also go through 80 garage sales in just 2 hours. He also buys a lot from places like Target, Walmart, Menards, and any other box stores when they have great discounts. He has bought items that cost $10 dollars and sold them for $150.

Naturally, this uses up a lot of storage space. Ben spends a lot more on storage than the actual store itself. He has entire storage facilities filled to the brim. He has so many items that if he quit buying things it would still take 6 years to list everything he has. This is also why he does not take clothes, he knows they’re profitable but he just does not have the room for it.

Ben is the only one running the store and the shop is open for 40 hours a week. He also works 120 hours a week at Christmas time, as that’s when people are buying the most. He spends a large amount of time just shipping items sold online. It is a very tough business to be in because it has a lot to do with trends. You can have something 5 to 7 years before it sells.

Though he can’t complain much as he is living his childhood dream, and so are others. People have always had the desire for all toys. Now they have the opportunity to see them or if they want, buy them. People tend to reminisce. A lot of people just like to look at collectible toys. As most people come to the Attic only to buy one item and don’t return for 4 more years, Ben doesn’t really have a consistent customer base.

Also when asked if people try to haggle, he stated that people do and he encourages it. Ben enjoys the barter system, he always tells people, “Prices are not firm, especially if an item has been sitting there for a long time.”

If he recently got an item, he will stick to that price point. But if you wait or buy a lot in bulk, you can get a great deal.

Circle of Faith doesn’t like to deal with large or many items. So Circle of Faith typically tells people to go to the Attic when there are items they don’t want. Circle of Faith also doesn’t take mattresses, refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, washers, dryers, freezers, computers, exercise equipment, paint, or air condition units. When they have too much of an item, Circle of Faith stores it at their warehouse until they have room in the store for the item.

The biggest difference between the Attic and Circle of Faith is that Circle of Faith gets all its items exclusively through donations. But people also still try to haggle here as well. They try to work with the customer and come up with an agreement that is beneficial to both the store and the customer.

When Nathan Kestler was asked if he believes that thrift stores are beneficial to the community, he said, “I do believe that thrift stores are beneficial to the community. They help out in so many different ways. Thrift stores help people in various ways. Thrift stores sell so many good items at a discounted price, so people can still shop and find what they need if they don’t have much money or if they are on a fixed income.”

Circle of Faith has been helping the community for over 25 years, often helping those who have lost items in fires, those with domestic issues, and other life-changing tragedies. Nathan’s uncle Richard Kestler started Circle of Faith to help people in the community. Nathan describes Richard as someone who always had a smile on his face and was always kind to his customers.

Richard Kestler unfortunately passed away last year on May 11. Nathan’s dad Wendall Kestler took Richard’s spot as manager and president of the store. Nathan joined his dad as assistant manager and vice president. Nathan’s sister Shanna joined the store as the accountant.