There's certainly nothing unusual about a thrift store that also operates as a charitable organization. The second-hand shops of St. Vincent de Paul, Goodwill and the Salvation Army, for instance, all donate large chunks of their profits to various causes, including homelessness and hunger-battling initiatives.
But here in Philadelphia, an unusually well-curated and partly volunteer-run shop know as
Philly AIDS Thrift has been doing business at 514 Bainbridge Street for six years now. And although it looks and feels more like a trendy vintage clothing shop than a dusty thrift store, Philly AIDS Thrift nevertheless donates the vast majority of the money it generates--about $8,000 a month--to the
AIDS Fund, "which then gets distributed to about 30 AIDS organizations in Philly," explains Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou, one of the store's co-founders.
Which is all well and good, says Kallas-Saritsoglou. But throughout its six year history, Philly AIDS Thrift has had to deal with one slightly inconvenient hassle: The processing of its donated clothing has always had to take place in a second location across the street, where electronics are also sold. For convenience sake, the staff has always wanted to join the two locations, and now, with a
new and slightly expanded location right around the corner at 710 South 5th Street, they've finally managed to consolidate their operations.
"The move happened," says Kallas-Saritsoglou, "because we hit the limit of what we could fit in here, because people are just really, really kind. We just have so many donations that we thought it would be best to try to find a new space."
That new space, she explains, which is already open, features 10,000 square feet of selling space, and a full three floors. The top floor will be dedicated to the processing of clothing donations, and a grand opening is scheduled for July 15-17.
Source: Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou, Philly AIDS Thrift
Writer: Dan Eldridge
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