Butler thrift shop readies for postholiday shopping season
Tucked inside the Greater Butler Mart, the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store offers a quiet haven for bargain hunters eager to find deals after the Christmas rush subsides.
Longtime manager Amy Watson has worked there long enough to understand the flow of donations, the faces of regular shoppers and the needs of the people who walk through the doors.
“We basically have everything,” Watson said. “Clothing of any sort and shoes, hats and scarves, small appliances, dishware and glassware, and an ever-changing collection of knickknacks and household items. It’s a large variety.
The shop operates independently, but remains closely connected with the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank on Elm Street, both sharing the same mission.
Donations are accepted three days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, giving staff the necessary time to sort, price and replenish shelves and hangers.
Watson said her team has decreased in size over the years and the shop now has just two full-time employees, with up to five employees working on any given day.
While the work can be challenging around the holidays, they’ve found a way to manage it.
“Being that our donations days are only three days, we do usually get pretty busy,” Watson said. “Many years ago, it used to kind of phase off and be slower, but it seems like the last couple of years, we still get pretty adequate donations throughout the whole year.”
Items rotate on a three-week color-tag cycle so new pieces can make their way to the shelves, while unsold clothing is baled and resold to textile companies as part of a conscious effort to recycle and keep usable materials out of landfills.
The window between Christmas and New Year’s is often slower, as most people are traveling or taking advantage of big-box, post-holiday sales.
“There are people who clean out their closets before Christmas and then there’s those who do it after,” Watson said. “As far as the storefront goes, though, it’s just kind of sporadic.”
For her, the greatest satisfaction comes not from the deals, but instead from the impact the shop has on people in need.
“I like people to understand that everything we bring in goes to our client aid,” she said. “Everything we make helps the community.”
