Thrift Shop Success Comes at a Cost

by Russ Alman, Communications Director

Suite D, one of four converted activity room suites on the east side of the building, is now the donation receiving room. The room is frequently overwhelmed with donations due to the growth of the store.

​The Second Chance Thrift Shop started as a small single room gift store in the back Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center. But it has expanded over the past 30 years into a huge part of the operation — so much so that it has outgrown the available space within our current building.

Originally, the Thrift Shop was only one room, which is where the ladies clothes and cash registers are now.  The small room connected to it was where all the donation processing took place. Shannon Port, the Thrift Shop manager for the past 12 years, said it was very crowded. “We all worked in that one room too, so it was very crowded. Sometimes there would be 8 of us working in there at a time tripping over each other.”

At that time, all of the other rooms in the back of the building were still separate activity rooms. However, as the Senior Center’s membership — and operating costs — continued to grow, so did the popularity and role of the Thrift Shop. The space available was clearly too small for the Thrift Shop to thrive. So in 2014, Executive Director Dave Tosch made the decision to remodel and expand the store. The back three activity rooms were converted into additional sales floor space. Walls and doors were removed and the entire space was remodeled, repainted and recarpeted.

“We put a lot more inventory on the floor after we remodeled, that made a big difference,” said Tosch.

The Second Chance Thrift Shop was remodeled in 2014. The project included expanding into three activity rooms, installing new carpet and paint. This resulted in much-needed additional revenue through increased sales, but decreased the available room for senior activities.

He also made a big push seeking donations from the community, visiting service groups and other community organizations, which jumpstarted donations. “I had people coming down throwing Dave’s name out all the time,” said Port.

While Thrift Shop sales have been growing steadily through word of mouth and traditional advertising, it was social media that really sparked an increase in sales. Tosch hired an outside advertising agency to promote the Senior Center and the Thrift Shop and this dramatically increased sales by reaching a new, younger audience.

But perhaps the biggest change happened in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senior Center was one of the first organizations to close its doors because of the high risk to its members. However, the Thrift Shop was allowed to reopen by June and remained open through the duration of the pandemic.

Because the Senior Center was closed, it became almost entirely dependent on the Thrift Shop for revenue. Meanwhile, public interest in the store continued to grow. Since people were stuck in their homes, donations increased and this sparked more sales growth. The store also needed more space to accommodate public health requirements.

Trecia Breckenridge inspects a comforter donated to the Thrift Shop. Before clothing and bedding donations can be displayed in the showroom, they are inspected and prepared for display in Suite C, one of four converted activity room suites on the east side of the building,

The Golden Apple Room, a large recreation room in the center of the building, was annexed to allow the store to further expand, and two of the four suites of the east side of the building were converted to donation processing and receiving to handle the increased influx of donations.

The Senior Center was finally able to reopen for members in June of 2022, but by that time, the Thrift Shop had grown so much that it was impossible to shrink it back down.

The Thrift Shop now accounts for over two-thirds of the operating funds for the Senior Center. As operating costs continue to rise, the Thrift Shop role has become indispensable.

“The Thrift Store is where this money comes to operate and our costs have just skyrocketed,” Tosch explained. “Minimum wage has increased nearly 80 percent since I started working here in 2013 and insurance rates have tripled.”

Meanwhile, the burgeoning membership — and need for activity space —  continue to add pressure for additional space. This is why the board of directors and executive staff made the decision in early 2023 to begin plans to expand the building.

A big part of why the Thrift Shop has been so successful is the consistency of its staff. Shannon Port, the Thrift Shop manager, has been in that role for over 12 years. “I started in the kitchen as a dishwasher since I was going to college and was just looking for something really part time.” The previous thrift shop manager passed away unexpectedly and Lori Kosters, the executive director at the time, recruited Port to take over the manager position.
Port is the store’s only full-time staff member. In addition, there are 10 part-time employees and over 30 volunteers who help with everything from processing donations to pricing and stocking shelves. Most of the staff and volunteers and have worked in the store for many years.

The quality of the merchandise is also a key factor in the store’s success. “We get so many donations that it allows us to be picky,” said Port.

Tosch agreed. “We are very selective in how we put stuff out for sale. I think a lot of people in the community want to support the Senior Center and one way of doing that [is to support the Thrift Shop.”

“They like to see their donations stay local and support a local cause,” Port added.