Nancy Good and Debie White volunteer at Ypsilanti Thrift Shop, a nonprofit organization at 14 S Washington Street. They put their own experiences in play to manage the shop, which they believe is a community favorite because of low prices, money flowing back into the community, and donations to people in need. Good and White both were avid thrifters before working at the Ypsilanti shop. They use those experiences to calculate prices, decide on where to share the proceeds, and schedule special deals.
Q: What is Ypsilanti Thrift Shop’s mission?
Good: We discussed this at the last board meeting because we don’t have a formal mission statement. It’s something we're in the process of making. We aim to serve the Ypsilanti community with affordable clothing and household goods, with profits going to emergency needs, like social service agencies.
Q: Where do Ypsilanti Thrift Shop’s profits go to?
White: We donate monthly to Meals on Wheels, Friends In Deed, and Hope Clinic.
Good: We aren’t their entire budget, but we contribute each month to those social agencies.
Debie White is a volunteer at the Ypsilanti Thrift Shop, at 14 S. Washington St. in downtown Ypsilanti, Michigan. (Courtesy of Debie White)
Q: What requirements should people know before giving away their clothes at Ypsilanti Thrift Shop?
Good: We want something in sellable shape. If you wouldn’t give it to your best friend, don’t bring it. Unfortunately, a lot of the donations we get, we feel like it’s people’s trash. We don’t look at people’s clothes when they drop them off; we wait until after they leave. People can drop off their donations on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only. For more information regarding criteria, people can visit YpsiThriftShop.org and click on "Material Donations."
Q: If the clothing items people bring in aren’t suitable for the sales floor, what happens to them?
White: We don’t throw them out. Instead, we donate to PACE and send the rest of our recycling to a company that donates internationally.
Good: They’ll turn the clothes into scrap. That’s one of the main advantages of donating to a thrift shop because it doesn’t end up in landfill.
Q: Have you spotted any luxury brands while sorting through what people have donated?
White: We get some brand-name clothes and clothes that still have tags on them.
Good: We always hope to get some brand-name clothes because we love it when we get luxury stuff. If they’re a premium brand or new, we price them higher than normal because most things here are $3. We have a list of premium brands to remember how to price them. We’re pretty reasonable with pricing compared to other thrift shops.
Q: Before things hit the sales floor, do volunteers get first dibs on items that people have donated?
White: Of course we get first dibs, if I’m being honest. We’re unpaid, and if we find something we want, we will ask another team member to price it. We typically don’t price things that we want to buy.
Q: Does the Ypsilanti Thrift Shop have any special deals or events coming up?
Good: For EMU students, we will offer 10% with their school ID being shown.
Q: How are the items priced?
White: Our basic items, like men’s shirts and pants and women’s slacks and tops, are $3, but if they’re the brand name, we’ll mark them up. We keep a list of brand names so the price remains consistent. For example, if a clothing item is brand new and has an $80 tag, we’ll mark them up. Our mission is to serve the community, so we’re here to make a little bit of money, too. We also take vouchers from clinics. The basic clothing piece is going to be $3 and up.
Q: How long have you volunteered at the Ypsilanti Thrift Shop and what made you volunteer?
White: We started around the same time that I retired in 2014. I didn’t even know Ypsilanti had a thrift shop before I came here. I went to Ann Arbor first trying to volunteer, and they wanted someone there to sponsor me. I didn’t know anyone there, so I talked to one of my friends and she told me I should come to the Ypsi Thrift Shop and I said, "Where’s that?" I never realized it was here, because it’s hidden.
Good: It’s been about 10 years because I retired in 2014, and we started within a year. Deb’s been a thrifter and still is. I had never thrifted before I started volunteering here. I found out about Ypsilanti Thrift Shop at a volunteer fair.
Q: What job did you have before volunteering at Ypsilanti Thrift Shop?
White: Years ago, I worked at a consignment shop in Ann Arbor called The Tree. I got paid to work there. At that time, I worked four days a week and worked at the consignment shop on my off days, so I loved it. People would bring in their stuff, and we’d go through it, but it was slightly different because it was a consignment shop, similar to Plato’s Closet.
Good: Before I retired, I worked as a banker.
Q: What makes Ypsilanti Thrift Shop different than other thrift stores?
White: Goodwill and ValueWorld pay their people, but we don’t get paid because we volunteer. They have shopping carts, but we have handheld baskets. We’re not perfect, but we’ll put out things with a rip or spot. I feel like when I shop at bigger thrift stores, it’s not the same quality, but that’s just my opinion. I still shop there.
Q: What’s the most shocking thing you have seen donated here?
White: It was a big, voluminous net. I’m sure it was a costume of some sort, it’s hard to describe because I thought it was a hoop skirt.
Good: We get a lot of racy lingerie. There have been some disgusting things we get, like dirty underwear.
Q: Does the Ypsilanti Thrift Shop sell underwear?
White: We sell underwear, but it has to be perfect. Most of what we sell is new and we hope that people who purchase here wash it at home.
Q: What items sell the most in the store?
Good: I think women’s clothing sells the most. We could sell a lot more baby clothes if we got them, but we don’t get many donations of baby clothes. Lots of people come in to look at the jewelry. When we get nice jewelry, it normally gets sold somewhere else because people aren’t going to want to pay what it’s worth at a thrift shop.
White: We have several regulars who come back weekly or two to three times a week because we have turnover and have new stuff all the time. Some guys come in, too.
Q: How do you decide what type of clothing items go on the floor?
Good: We put our stuff out seasonally, so right now you’re not going to find summer clothes. At the end of the season is when we get ready for the changeover. We start selling everything at half the price for a week or two. Then we begin the bag sale, for $5 or $4 each. We do this to empty the store and fill it with items appropriate for the approaching season.
Q: What would you say to convince someone to come to the Ypsilanti Thrift Shop?
White: We have the best prices in town, are a nonprofit organization, we’re all volunteers, and we donate to social services to help people in need.
Good: All of the money is going back into the community, and we pay our bills, which is $500 a month. Other than that, it goes right back into the community.
Q: If you find money inside the pockets of clothing, do you keep it or where does it go?
Good: We put in our donation. When people make a purchase, lots of them say to keep the change. We have a jar filled with change and we’ll use that if customers come up a little short in what they owe.
Q: Is Ypsilanti Thrift Shop the only thrift shop in Ypsi that operates in a volunteer setting?
White: Ann Arbor Thrift Shop is also nonprofit and volunteer-centered to help those in need in their community.
Good: Depot Town Thrift isn’t a nonprofit, but they do use volunteers. They are very generous because they accept vouchers like us and give stuff away.
Q: Since you don’t get paid to work here, why do you stay and keep volunteering?
Good: It’s for a good cause. Deb and I’s relationship plays a big part in it, too. People at Eastern’s campus may not know of us, but we are incredibly well-regarded among the streets of Ypsilanti. They tried to shoplift, but people love us. Our front window broke a couple of years ago while it was being caulked. I remember sitting outside, and someone came by and said, "We’re going to find out who did this because they can’t mess with our thrift shop." I told them that we did it ourselves, but it was sweet that they cared. We marched in the Fourth of July parade and people would see us and go, "Oh, I love the thrift shop." So it’s rewarding.
White: When I retired, I didn’t do much for the first year besides going to Toledo to see my mother every week. I knew I wanted to do something but not work again, so the thrift shop is a way to give back to the community.
-
The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday and Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Volunteers receive training and are asked to commit to working at least three and half hours a month. Anyone wanting to join the team should fill out the volunteer application on the shop's website.
