GPS POI [Points Of Interest] File for ThriftShopper.com stores?

[guyslp]

Hello All,
I'm brand new to ThriftShopper.com and the forums here, but certainly not new to thrift shopping almost anywhere I go when time allows.  I have a strong preference for charity-run thrift stores, but if I see an an interesting one of any type, well. . .

I found a forum thread on the site that gave the impression that ThriftShopper.com was going to eventually publish their list of thrift shops on an ongoing basis in a format that would allow uploading to the major GPS devices.  I cannot see that this has happened, though.

Does a POI file of ThriftShopper.com thrift shops exist and, if so, where can it be downloaded from?   If it doesn't, do any plans exist to do this or is a volunteer wanted/needed to help with the effort?

guyslp

[Good Buddy]

I would be more than willing to create a mobile application for the directory. I'll have my programmer and designer look into it.

[guyslp]

I would be more than willing to create a mobile application for the directory. I'll have my programmer and designer look into it.

Thanks much for both your prompt response and willingness to do this.

Obviously, you already have your name/address data in some sort of database to support the search function on the website.  If your programmer can create a CSV file with a header row, it's very likely he or she can use the batch address conversion utility here:
       http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/geocoder/
or a tab separated columnar file can be converted here:
       http://www.batchgeocode.com/

Discussion of a variety of address to longitude/latitude conversion options to create files for GPS devices can be found on the POI Factory website here:
       http://www.poi-factory.com/node/8555

     The whole process is pretty straightforward and it would be easy to add columns to you existing database to hold the necessary latitude/longitude coordinates.  Given the prevalence (and increasing cheapness and increasing use of) GPS devices you might even want to consider displaying latitude/longitude coordinates in the information returned from the "Search" function on the website.

Thanks again,
 guyslp     

[thriftymama]

Could this be something like a frapper map, where you look at a map and see all the thrift stores pinpointed in a particular area? that would be very helpful! for instance, today i went to a city unfamiliar to me, and i thought it would be cool to see how many thrift stores were near that city just by viewing a map of the area.

[jessie_philly]

wow this would be fantastic.  i'd use it all the time.