Skip to content

A thrifty way to provide charitable support

To celebrate 5th birthday, Renewed Thrift and Vintage is throwing a heck of a sale BY JOHN CHICK Special to the VOICE T he old adage of what is one person’s trash is another’s treasure is alive and well at Renewed Thrift and Vintage on the Pelham/Tho
IMG_5653
President and committee Chair John Beeke, and volunteer and committee member Lynn DeBruin at the store, preparing for the big day. VOICE PHOTO
 

To celebrate 5th birthday, Renewed Thrift and Vintage is throwing a heck of a sale

BY JOHN CHICK Special to the VOICE

The old adage of what is one person’s trash is another’s treasure is alive and well at Renewed Thrift and Vintage on the Pelham/Thorold boundary.

The not-for-profit thrift store is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month, and it appears to have succeeded beyond the founders’ wildest dreams.

“For sure,” John Beeke, one of those founders said recently. “Each year we’ve been giving $200,000 to the school.”

That’s a lot of second-hand sales. The private school Beeke is referring to is Jordan Christian School, and the store came about as an idea to help fund it.

“We needed more funding for our school because it’s not government-supported,” Beeke said, who added the store also provides support to about 16 other area charities.

Yet the shop couldn’t exist without regular donations of goods, something that Beeke and the other volunteers say they’ve had no trouble with so far.

“We get a lot of stuff,” he said. “It comes in all the time.” In the first four-plus years, there was so much of that stuff that they had nowhere to store it.

“We had to turn trucks away,” Beeke said.

Two things have ended that. About a month ago, they acquired the former warehouse space behind the store to handle all the furniture donations they were getting. They also obtained a shipping container to house excess inventory. While the furniture area has only been open for a matter of weeks, Beeke says business on that end has been brisk.

“It does sell,” he said, while pointing out that clothes and household items still remain the top draws for folks dropping in.

There’s no shortage of those drop-ins either. Beeke says that the store can get very busy, with 400-600 shoppers common on their busiest day of the week, Saturday.

As mentioned, the store is run exclusively by volunteers. There are about 25 in total, with some working more frequent shifts than others, depending on preference. “Thankfully, we’re not short-staffed,” Beeke said.

Beyond clothes and furniture, the store sells everything from children’s wares to books and cookware. Seasonal items also remain a draw. The store currently has a Christmas decoration area set up for anyone looking for some inexpensive holiday aesthetic enhancements.

And with the festive season approaching, the store will host a fifth anniversary celebration on Saturday, November 16—with 50% off nearly everything in the building. Refreshments will be served.

Renewed Thrift and Vintage is located at 2225 Highway 20, just west of the 406 interchange. Hours are 9:30 AM to 5 PM, Monday to Friday, and 9 AM to 4 PM Saturdays.