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THRIFTING MIGHT MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE, SO HERE’S HOW TO DO IT IN EAST DALLAS

Judging by its humble Garland Road headquarters, White Rock Center of Hope might not look like an enterprise on the cutting edge of conscientious consumerism and style.

But doors beneath the generic-looking “Thrift Shop” signage lead to an impressive operation.

Neatly distributed rows of clothing, a curated selection of furniture and accessories, and a frontand-center “boutique” area stocked with higher-end inventory meet a shopper’s eye.

“We’ve been doing a lot to try to refresh our merchandising and marketing, to make sure the store is welcoming,” Executive Director Greg Smith says. “We always have fresh sales. You’ll see our floors have been cleaned, and they’re nice and sparkly.”

The staff says that if they don’t have what you need, or want, chances are they will have it next week. “We have a lot of churn, which is great,” Smith says.

Our neighborhood is a good place to thrift. According to a 2022 study by researchers at Lawn Love (based on the number of stores and Google searches), Dallas ranks No. 12 for second-hand shopping on their list of 200.

Commenting on the study, Oklahoma State University’s Department of Design and Housing professor, June Park, explains why shopping used is good for the environment and more.

“You are closing the loop by reusing material goods, and it’s a good way to support your community because many thrift stores are locally based small businesses, and a sizable portion of their earnings goes to charity.”

A study by the upscale online vintage furniture reseller Chairish showed home furnishings is the largest sector of the entire resale market. Sales hit $15 billion in 2021 and are expected to accelerate to $22 billion by 2027.

The thrift store at White Rock Center of Hope supports programs that assist families from ZIP codes 75238, 75218, 75214, 75228 and 75223.

Donations come in through the west side of the building, behind the retail store, where volunteers accept items Monday thru Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Aside from old-school electronics and items that “have been loved so much they have nothing left to give,” Smith says they will accept almost anything.

The 16,000-square-foot build ing includes ample space for vol unteers to sort, count and orga nize those contributions.

Some will go to “clothing clos et,” in an adjacent area, where enrolled families can choose outfits free of charge four times a year. The center distributes some 81,000 items each year and also shares with other local charities, Smith says.

The foundation uses funds from the shop to purchase new socks and underwear so clothing closet clients take home com plete outfits, and it partners with North Texas Food Bank for its grocery pantry and provides a number of additional resources.

“Almost all of the labor at the thrift shop is volunteer,” Smith says. “That means every dollar at the store is benefitting people in the neighborhood.”

Since Smith joined the foundation 18 months ago, he has focused on expanding programming.

“Once people are stabilized, oftentimes they still need some help to figure out how to not need to come back again,” Smith says.

He points to a room that has been cleared to make way for a classroom where he says volunteers and social workers will teach useful skills such as financial literacy.

White Rock Center of Hope checks all the feel-good-shopping boxes, but it is not the only place in the neighborhood for resale, vintage and other second-hand treasure.

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