Resale shopping is big. We mean big.
Call it a satellite of recycling`s rising star. Call it a swelling of reaction to what shrinking dollars can buy. Call it a creative option among tax deductions (donations to thrift stores can be deductible and purchases made in nonprofit shops benefit charity).
Or just call it the love of the hunt. Whatever the reasons that resale has gone upscale, the era of grungy little shops full of junk nobody wants is over. Instead, more than 40 stores in the Du Page area offer general merchandise at bargain prices to shoppers who range from those without shoes to those who are well-heeled.
Many shops are operated by volunteers, with proceeds benefitting their social service organization or church. Others are privately owned (in most cases, privately owned shops donate unsold items to charity). Some rely on donations for stock, some take consignments, a few buy outright. Some do a combination. None of them take junk.
Rosemary Cegles, manager of Oak Brook Christian Center Thrift Store, Westmont, explained that donated items must be clean, pressed, free of rips and tears and on hangers. Beth Hobby, stores supervisor for St. Vincent De Paul Resale Stores, said major appliances must be less than five years old and in working order. And a sign in Glen Ellyn`s Treasure House reads, ”If you haven`t worn it in five years, who else will?”
Resale also has spawned a professional association, the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops (NARTS), 153 Halsted St., Chicago Heights 60411, with an ever-growing membership.
Trudy Miller, president, said that NARTS, incorporated in 1984, boasts about 400 members nationally: ”We network, provide educational seminars (and an annual conference), publish a newsletter, encourage a code of ethics and work like crazy to promote the image of resale as a viable and respected business.”
Not that all resale shops are alike. Each has its own personality, ranging from a bit musty and a tad disorganized to ultrachic boutique. Many are near the center of town (often by the railroad tracks), operated by friendly people who love a good bargain as much as their clientele and feature special price policies such as bag sales, end-of-season sales, half-price after 60 days on the floor and so on. Generally, all sales are final; a few shops have exchange/return policies. All take cash, most take checks, some take credit cards.
Consignment policies differ. Generally, an item is priced 30 to 70 percent less than original retail, with proceeds split 60-40 or 50-50 with the owner. Some shops take consignments any time, some have special hours, some are by appointment. Phone first.
When you go resaling-and you know you want to-double-check store hours
(these may change and many shops are closed on specific days), location
(many are in vintage homes, on church grounds or in former factories), dress comfortably and do one of the few really fun things that is healthy, nonfattening and cheap.
