Tag: thrift store

Treasures found at M&M’s Thriftporium on Main Street | Business

Posted on By Maria J. Glover
HOME DECOR

When longtime friends Melanie Landholm and Meagan Johnson decided they were going to make their dream thrift store a reality, a friend in the business encouraged them to make it happen.

“We just jumped into it,” Johnson said.

After taking the friend’s advice to visit area thrift stores and get ideas, the pair later went home and “just started chicken scratch writing notes,” Johnson said.

As they brainstormed, a vision for their business began to take shape and they started looking for a physical location in town.

A storefront in West Point caught their eye at 208 Main St., near the intersection of East Grove Street and Main Street.

Formerly a bakery, the store had been vacant for about two years, so the duo contacted the landlord about renting the space.

The store just needed some cleaning and minor fix-ups. Landholm and Johnson gave the walls fresh coats of colorful paint, and said their husbands also helped them with fixing up the place.

“Our poor husbands both work 50 plus hours a week and then would come here [to help]. So they’re relieved that we’re open and running now,” Johnson laughed.

They were able to move in at the end of June this year.

The M&M logo on the front of their store, which Johnson created, represents their initials and displays their favorite colors — pink and teal — which are also incorporated throughout the store.

Inside, the main room displays a wide array of women’s and men’s clothing as well as racks of shoes. The store also offers plus-size and maternity clothing.

An adjacent room is dedicated to items for kids and babies from clothes, toys, books, games and more.

The duo said offering baby items like high chairs, exercise bouncers and strollers is a huge plus for parents

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Furniture excess contributes to landfill waste, students weigh cheap, eco-friendly alternatives

Posted on By Maria J. Glover
FURNITURE

Every summer, students moving out cram their cars with valuables, forcing them to play Tetris with their desks, chairs and mattresses. Whatever doesn’t fit has to stay. 

Sometimes, the furniture stands patiently by a dumpster, waiting to be picked up and transported to a landfill. Other times, the furniture sits comfortably in an air-conditioned thrift store, safe from wood-rot and curious critters.

Many movers aren’t aware of the environmental impact their choice to throw out furniture has, with bulk items packing landfills. In a city with a frequent base of students moving in and out of furnished and unfurnished apartments, strategies like furniture recycling and thrifting have become popular Gainesville options.   

Alyssa Soejima, a 21-year-old UF education sciences senior, was in Gainesville during quarantine when she passed by a turquoise glass cabinet by the Beaty Towers dumpster. It was just one of the hundreds of pieces of furniture thrown out by students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.   

“Oh my god, that’s so cute,” she said to her roommate. “Let’s steal it.”

This wasn’t the first or the last time the dumpsters overflowed with discarded furniture. 

In 2019, furniture made up an estimated 2% of waste, by weight, sent to the landfill, according to a projection by a 2020-2021 Alachua County Waste Composition Study. The study also estimates that for every ton of new furniture purchased that year, Alachua landfilled one-third of the weight in old discarded furniture, said Dr. Timothy G. Townsend, the study’s principal investigator.

“There’s a lot of bulky items such as furniture that are currently discarded,” he said.  “And if there was a way to reuse those and offset the purchase of new furniture and the making of new furniture, that is a significant savings and benefit to the environment.”

The report makes several

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Watch Now – Chilhowie store owner turns old pieces of furniture into works of art | Local Business News

Posted on By Maria J. Glover
FURNITURE

It’s not uncommon for Kellie Monk to return from her lunchbreak with a vehicle full of furniture.

CHILHOWIE, Va. — A Washington County woman is on a mission to help save the environment a little bit at a time by restoring furniture that is destined for the landfill.

Kellie Monk flips discarded furniture, taking what people no longer want and transforming it into objects of beauty.

Her trash-to-treasure business is a creative outlet for the Meadowview woman who works a full-time job as an administrative assistant and comes home in the evenings to work her magic on odds-and-ends pieces of furniture she finds at yard sales and thrift stores.

“I’m no stranger to picking up things off the road,” she said with a laugh. “I hate seeing something that’s still useful going into the trash. I’m always thinking I could make something pretty out of it,” she said.

“I believe in salvaging what you can to help keep our world as clean as possible.  It blows my mind what people will toss in a trash bin instead of recycling or repurposing it. I feel that each piece I save helps protect our environment in a small way.”

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It’s also a way to save unloved pieces of furniture, she said. “I’ve never been a fan of new things. I’d rather go to a thrift store than a new furniture store.”

Monk is the only employee at her workplace who can take a lunch break and come back with her car loaded with furniture she’s found at yard sales and thrift shops.

“Why not save a vintage piece instead of buying a new one?” she asked.

The crafter just seems to have a knack for

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The best places to thrift in the Twin Cities

Posted on By Maria J. Glover
FURNITURE
Illustration of a clothes hanger resembling a recycling icon
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Twin Cities shoppers looking for savings and sustainability have lots of options thanks to the metro’s thriving thrift store scene.

Why it matters: With inflation on the rise and the climate impact of fast fashion, buying second hand is an easy way to save some money, lower your carbon footprint and shop for unique items.

The state of play: “Thrift store” is a catch-all term but there are several categories to note when searching for a place to shop.

  • Secondhand stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army sell almost anything for cheap.
  • Vintage stores have a higher price point and focus on older clothing, accessories and furniture in good/great condition.
  • Consignment shops sell upscale clothing, housewares and furniture in great condition.

Where to start: Go in with an open mind — it’s unlikely any store will have exactly what you’re looking for. Here are some of our local recommendations.

Tip: If you don’t mind digging through warehouse bins, check out theshop/find-store”Goodwill Outlets in St. Paul, Chaska and Brooklyn Park. All items are sold by the pound — typically under $3.

  • And: some thrift stores also give out coupons for your next purchase when you donate items, or have “deal days” with storewide discounts.

Worth noting: Many of these stores will buy your gently used goods, too.

Audrey’s thought bubble: I try not to shop at big thrift chains, and focus on smaller non-profit shops like Hidden Treasures, Old School by Steeple People and Flying Pig Thrift.

  • I’ve found that the prices are lower, the selection is more unique and the money you spend is going to a local cause.
  • If you ever need a thrift shop recommendation, email me. I’ve been to many of them.

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