The Robin’s Home Thrift Store and Donation Center, scheduled to open next month at 221 S. Main St. in Butler, will be a great addition to downtown Butler.

The new shop offers a place to buy thrifted items — and support the female veterans who will benefit from Robin’s Home’s services.

We commend the creativity of Mary Chitwood, director, and her team. They have come up with a unique way to raise money for a cause, but also, there’s a potential benefit for those who will be employed there.

In a Sept. 27 article in the Butler Eagle, Chitwood said she hopes to partner with AmeriCorps and AARP to obtain employees for the new thrift store, as members of those groups could experience working in a therapeutic setting while building their resumes.

She also intends to contact local VA officials, as she says the thrift store could become a compensated work-therapy site for veterans.

Thrift stores often offer gently used secondhand items and clothes at discounted prices. It’s a win for customers looking for a deal, but thrift stores come with additional benefits.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, thrift store jobs are “green.” The reuse of items minimizes packaging and the creation of new items from new materials. It also decreases the amount of materials that wind up in landfills.

Plans are for Robin’s Home Thrift Store and Donation Center to be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday in the building that formerly housed Reclamation Brewing.

—TL