“Grey Bears to open thrift store every Saturday” |
| Grey Bears to open thrift store every Saturday Posted: 01 Mar 2011 07:14 PM PST Click photo to enlarge A longtime Grey Bears Thrift Store shopper wanders through the store s goods Tuesday. The store has expanded at its Chanticleer Avenue location.  SANTA CRUZ — The Grey Bears Thrift Store is a bargain shopper's paradise, and now it's open six days a week with more space and more merchandise. "It's a treasure hunt," said Beverly Powell, 60, of Ben Lomond. "I love it." She bought a skirt, blouse and earrings that looked like tiny slices of watermelon — all for $8.72. She happened to shop on a day when clothing was 50 percent off. "I'm a thrift shopper from way back," said Powell, who sees thrift-shop business brisk because of the slow economy. Sales at the store are one of the ways the Grey Bears, a nonprofit organization of people 55 and up, help senior citizens. "We've received so much positive feedback for our once-monthly Saturday sales from customers that we decided to open every Saturday starting in March," said Debbie Graves, the new thrift store manager. "Being open Saturdays will give more people a chance to shop here and take advantage of the many new items that come throughout the week. We'll also continue to have special sale items." The store is located at 2710 Chanticleer Ave., past Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, in a one-story home. Inside it's organized like a typical retail shop, with clothing arranged by color on round racks, jewelry displays, shoes, belts, scarves and purses. One room has five shelves filled with books conveniently facing three reading chairs. Hardcover books are $2.50, cookbooks $2, and kids' books are 75 cents or $1. Housewares are in a portable building added last year and there's a warehouse of furniture and framed art in the back. Shoppers will find almost everything but the kitchen sink — Grey Bears will not accept donations of sinks, toilets, exercise equipment or skis. Still, the variety is surprising, from a telescope, $80, and a model ship, $20, to a crocheted bag, $5, and a Michigan Wolverines musical glass globe, $4. Jeans by Lee, Liz Claiborne and Abercrombie and Fitch are under all $10. A petite Sonoma corduroy jacket is $10, and Candies medium pajamas in a "peace and love" print, are $6. For someone size 10, there's an ivory strapless wedding gown by Alfred Angelo. David Kuo, 81, of Scotts Valley, discovered the store while waiting for a relative at the hospital nearby. He found a book on the history of China and decided to buy it. Thrift store proceeds fund the Brown Bag program, which is expected to deliver 2.5 million pounds of fresh food this year to 4,000 local seniors. "Grey Bears is fortunate to have community support — that's what helped us grow," said Ann Jones, 73, of Aptos, who has volunteered in the thrift store since 1995 and enjoys the camaraderie. "I have customers who come every Tuesday because they know I'm here," she said. "We let them know if anything special has come in, but we don't hold anything." Another regular volunteer is Shirley Gordon, a great-grandmother from Santa Cruz. The thrift shop expansion is one of the projects overseen by Tim Brattan, Grey Bears' new executive director, replacing Lynda Francis. Another project is a redesign of the Grey Bears' website at www.greybears.org, which describes the organization's projects and ways to get involved. More volunteers are needed for the thrift store, the main office and as volunteer drivers to deliver brown bags. Brattan, formerly the executive director at the Veterans Memorial Building for 11 years, worked side by side with her until her retirement Jan. 28. "It was a blessing to have had the two-month transition time to learn from her," Brattan said. IF YOU GO Grey Bears Thrift Store WHAT: Offering clothing, accessories, housewares, furniture, books and medical equipment WHEN: Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday WHERE: 2710 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz INFORMATION: www.greybears.org or 479-1055 This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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