[Enjoy another highlight from the wonderful volunteers down at Next To New thrift shop, one of Trinity’s Ministry Partners. Next To New, located in the lower-level of Trinity, has been serving the local community offering low-priced, high-quality new or slightly used clothing, household goods and kitchenware for nearly 70 years.]
I was a long-time shopper at Next To New before I began volunteering there. I was a single mom, on a tight-budget, raising 2 boys. I had come across Next To New over 20 years ago, by chance, and it truthfully was a godsend.
I would take the bus all the way downtown just to do some shopping at NTN. Then, by luck, I happened to move down to an apartment on Summit Street, which made frequenting NTN so much easier. Honestly, I’ve never owned a car, so I’ve always found work that was close by – whether it was a downtown eatery, a hotel along the water or the art museum. Next To New was always there when I needed a new purse, pair of shoes or slacks for work. I could fill care-packages with treasures to send to my sister and mother, at little cost! Then a little less than a decade ago I moved out to Point Place, and I just couldn’t say goodbye to NTN, so I asked Jean (who was the manager at the time) if I could stay involved and she helped me begin my time as a volunteer at the shop. I’m here every Thursday in the back room, sorting and pricing the donations that come in!
My favorite part of Next To New…that’s easy. It’s the people and the experience we offer. We sell goods and services for little to no money. But we exchange so much more than that – we can offer dignity to those who often are undermined and undervalued in our community. And while we offer Earn You Way and referral programs, Next To New has set itself up to help people actually shop. It’s amazing to see people come in with a small amount of pocket change and make an exciting purchase and walk away so proud of the fact that they bought something for themselves or a loved one. And our little family of volunteers downstairs get to witness and aid that process every Monday and Thursday. We get to add a personal touch to each customer’s shopping experience and we learn so much about our customers, often developing friendships with them. That is what sets us apart from the big name resale business – our staff really cares about who we serve. We’ll stop and have conversations with folks, we’ll bargain with customers to find them a price that works well within their budget, and we try everyday to make sure people leave with a smile on their faces.
I’m hoping as we continue on in our little corner of the world, we can work to spread our name and our mission more. There are so many people outside of the downtown area that could benefit from NTN. When asked about any fears for the future of the shop, my first thought was this recent closing of some many closing stores due to the rise of online shopping, but then I remind myself that you can never put a price, or replace, the warm, welcoming and caring environment of a place like NTN and I know that we’ll survive another 70 years.