Finding another man’s treasure in… Someboby’s Attic; Thrift store raises money for abuse victims and others
Somebody’s Attic is a thrift store that offers more than just bargains to the public. As a nonprofit business, its fundraising efforts have benefitted the community for the last 20 years.
The store began when a group of women associated with Community Abuse Prevention Services Agency and the Child and Family Support Center set up the store as a way to provide a source of private funding, said store director Joy Gallagher Shaw.
“Private funding is necessary for federal grants,” she said. “You have to have matching funds.”
Since then, she said the purpose of the store has not changed. Everything received by Somebody’s Attic is from donations. The funds are used to benefit abuse prevention and intervention in Cache Valley.
Shaw said she has worked for Somebody’s Attic for the last 12 years. She said she had worked in business management and wanted to go into the nonprofit sector.
“When you’re in a for-profit, your money is going toward a single individual or only a small group of people are benefitting,” Shaw said. “This is benefitting the whole community.”
The store sells clothing, shoes, books, magazines, dishes and kitchenware, children’s toys and many other odds and ends.
The average price when taking into account all of the merchandise sold on the sales floor is about $2.50.
The layout is more like a boutique to take away the thrift-store stigma, Shaw said.
Somebody’s Attic is a good place to “find current things, retro things and everything in between” according to volunteer worker, Sally Carles.
Carles had been a long-time customer of Somebody’s Attic before she began volunteering more than a year ago.
The majority of store workers are volunteers. Of the 50-75 people that work at the stores, Shaw said about 10 of those are part-time employees.
Volunteers work a three-hour shift, Shaw said. They do a variety of things such as sorting, making displays, keeping things organized and running the register.
The front window displays are part of the element that catches a shopper’s eye as they pass the unique arrangement of antiques.
“We really don’t do a lot of advertising. That’s kind of the way we advertise our merchandise,” Shaw said.
Items such as antique chests, golf clubs, an old Underwood typewriter, Bing Crosby records and 15-cent comic books featuring Daniel Boone can be seen on display for bidding along with a starting bid price.
Shaw said a lot of the items donated come from estates.
“It’s really remarkable what people will donate,” she said. “If it doesn’t really have a value to them or they are really passionate about the cause, they’ll donate it to get the most they can to help someone else.”
By doing a bidding system, Shaw said customers are given the opportunity to see the item and decide if they want it, rather than putting it on the sales floor at a higher price where it may sell before they see it.
As Somebody’s Attic has grown in donations and earnings, she said it has been able to expand to build another location in Smithfield. Shaw said it has done amazingly well in its first year.
“We have a growing clientele,” Shaw said. “Primarily our base, 60 percent, have been coming in for years. They’re really diverse – I can’t put a label or description on them.”
As Somebody’s Attic has grown to accommodate the customers needs, so have the groups that benefit from the store’s donations.
Shaw said that while they have been able to purchase the buildings they occupy, they have also seen CAPSA move from a small safehouse into a much larger facility. The Family and Child Support Center has added an extension onto their building.
“That’s just a reflection of the community,” Shaw said. “The community has grown; obviously we’re going to grow with that, so have the needs grown.”
The store is now celebrating its 20-year anniversary. In those 20 years, Shaw said Somebody’s Attic has raised about $640,000.
Shaw said there have been years when they have far exceeded their expectations in funds.
In those situations, they will look toward other agencies to make donations, she said.
Donations can be made during the store hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Logan and noon-6 p.m. in Smithfield at the drop at the back of the store at 39 W. and 100 North.
Donators are asked to be sensitive to giving only good, usable items to Somebody’s Attic.
-ashleykarras@cc.usu.edu
A large collection of shoes, shirts, belts and other items are available at Somebody’s Attic as well as other unique items for antique collectors.