OK does anyone own...

[Tammy]

a thrift store?  Or have you ever wanted to?  Seriously have you ever thought of it?  Sounds like a dream job.  My mother had a friend that bought a small house and turned it into a thrift store.  She was closed several days a week in the beginning and used those days to hit garage sales to stock her store.  She was pretty successful running it also.  She ran it about 5 years before she closed it down but said she enjoyed doing it.  Look at all the dollar stores opening up.  I mean people don't want to pay full price or alot for things.  More thrifts!!

[MrsGoodwill]

I don't own a thrift, but I have worked in one and I LOVED it! Mind you, I was only a volunteer, but it was the only "job" that I have ever had where I actually looked forward to going to work.

I have always thought that I would love to own a house clearance business. I know someone who does house clearance who sells the stuff either on ebay or in a thrift he runs to support his church.

[Tammy]

My daughter worked at Goodwill for a short while and said it was horrible when something would come in that she wanted but the employees weren't allowed to get them until their day off.  (which is understandable LOL) 

There are times I would be so tempted to give it a try if I were weathier to get set up that is.   

I was surprised this thread didn't have more posts to it. 

[OldBlueJeanz]

I owned a consignment thrift store (a for-profit store) for 3 years. It was the most fun I ever had working but I didn't make enough money for the hours I was putting in. Rent is outrageously high, as well as other expenses like utilities, liability insurance, equipment like racks, bookcases, display cases, hangers, and remodeling costs to provide a back room, proper lighting, and dressing rooms. My profit margin was very low, but I think that was because I relied almost solely on consignments (had to split the profits on the sales). If I ever decided to do it again (which I might!) I wouldn't rely on consignments so heavily and most of the store would be stocked by me going to garage sales and flea markets. In my experience, the only way to make enough profit on those stores is to have most of the merchandise belong to you. But yeah......so much fun! I loved that part of it! Seeing all the stuff that people brought in and getting first dibs on it too!

[Cookie]

I think it would be fun to have a thrift store if you could align yourself with a charity where they would help you get the donations and then you give them a percentage of your profits.  Maybe then it wouldn't be so difficult to make a profit and you wouldn't have to scour so many yard sales yourself.  You could also go to local churches and offer to clean out attics for free and see what kind of stuff people are willing to get rid of.  A person down the street from us has one of those 1-800-GotJunk? vans parked in their driveway, and they are ALWAYS having a garage sale.  I wonder if they're independent contractors or what.  Maybe people call 1-800-GotJunk? and pay to have the junk taken away and then whoever takes it away can dump it or sell it or keep it.  Anyone know how that works?

[Other People s Junk]

I just googled it and found this site:

http://www.1800gotjunk.com/us_en/homepage.aspx

It looks like you have to pay them and then come and pick it up from wherever you have it.

[Tammy]

A woman down the street from me had a wonderful shop that was so cram packed it wasn't funny.  It was on the top floor of an old library so it was a big place. Along with her sister, they would advertise that they'd take entire households or would clean out a place after someone died.  She always had tons of everything.  My very best find was a Radio Shack police scanner that she had no clue what it was and I got it for $1.00.  Worked perfectly once I reprogrammed channels in.   

I noticed that it seems they have closed and don't know where they've moved everything to but I would have nightmares if it were me having to move that place with all the stuff she had. 

[Good Buddy]

I'm now working with a lady who was the Retail Sales Coordinator for all the St. Vincent De Paul Stores nationwide.
She wrote out dozens on pamphlet workshops about starting and running a successful thrift shop. Cookie will edit it and then I'll post it on the internet on another site as a blog.
People will be able to comment and help update the online book.

I'll keep y'all informed..

[Tammy]

Not that I'll ever get the chance, but yes please let us know where it posts. 

[SecondhandSophisticate]

I am definetely intrigued with this idea. I wish I lived in a neighborhood that was more of a community, because this would be something I would consider doing from home.

I have so much stuff that I give away (it's a lot of stuff to me, anyway, but too much is stuff that is no longer being utilized) that isn't worth selling on ebay but yet could make me a few bucks. I will be doing a flea market in a few weeks, but still, there's a fee up front and people (pickers/collectibles/store owners/ebay sellers or wannabes) want everything for free. Still, any $$ in my pocket is better than no cash in my pocket.

I know a lady who was running one of the big-gun thrifts in the area, and has just left to open her own shop.  I passed along this site addy to a former co-worker of hers.  I hope to see her soon and find out her experiences. 

SeSo   

[secondhandnation]

I've been an employee at a thrift store.  Very fun to work in the back.  Not as much fun to work with some of the more "eclectic" customers.  But that's all retail for you, really.

A good friend of mine owned a "collectible" and vintage clothes and houseware shop.  Basically, she did all the money stuff and her partner hit up thrift stores and garage sales constantly looking for new merch.  It was a fun business, but tons of work.  They eventually sold it, as her partner wanted a full time job with actual benefits. 

Interestingly, they were right next to a reptile/lizard pet store.  One day, my friend's partner came into the store to work and it smelled horrible.  She was particularly upset, as a reporter from the local paper came down to do a profile on their business.  She sprayed air freshener, opened the front door, etc. and nothing would make the smell go away.
It turns out that the dude who owned the reptile shop which shared a storage space with them had a boa constrictor that died in its cage and had started to turn...blecccchhh...