Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

Thrift stores seeing more customers

Patrons switch to buying essential items

By Christine Henderson
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Ann Tesno, manager, inspects used clothing at Things From The Heart in Celina. The consignment/donation store assists those in need.

While the bad economy has been good for sales at stores featuring used inventory, the greater change has been in what shoppers are buying.
"We have picked up more customers, but people are only buying what they need," said Anne Tesno, manager of Things From The Heart Thrift Store in Celina, which has been selling used clothes and household goods for 20 years.
Customers used to buy a special outfit, saying it was worth it for one wearing.
"Now they only buy what they have to have, even if it is only a couple of bucks," Tesno said.
Kathy Bayless, executive director of Agape Ministries, which operates a thrift store in St. Marys, agreed.
"More people are thrift-minded," she said.
Popular items this time of year are Christmas decorations such as lights and trees, Bayless said.
Jen Garret, owner of Simply Good Things in St. Marys, said she has noticed changes in shopping habits since opening her used furniture/household store nine years ago.
"The 'must haves' change if you don't have a lot of money," she said.
Purchases have switched to essential furniture such as beds, dressers and night stands instead of knickknacks. Even to sell the "must haves," the prices must be reasonable, Garret said.
Anita Germann, who began operating Anita's Morning Glory Boutique in St. Marys six months ago, said sales are increasing. She sells used clothes and new accessories.
"With the economy being tough, more people are looking in this direction to keep themselves fashionable at an affordable cost," she said.
The two-year-old Goodwill Store in Celina also has reported growth in retail revenue and "strong sales," retail district manager Gene Motycka said.
Leah Taylor of St. Marys said she shops at Morning Glory because she likes vintage clothes and wants to expand her wardrobe while paying reasonable prices.
Junior Stine of St. Marys, a customer at Simply Good Things, looks for pocket knives, cheese plates and novelty items at thrift stores. He buys and then resells his finds as a hobby.
Diane Stromblade, owner of Hidden Treasure in Coldwater, said it's hard to judge if the economy has influenced her business. She has found that the type of inventory, such as name brand clothing and word of mouth impact her sales.
Her busiest times are when the seasons change, she said.
Some stores, such as Things From The Heart, have begun offering consignment instead of just taking clothing as a donation to increase inventory.
Sue Lore, co-owner of Mommy and Me, a used baby products store in Celina, said this Christmas season has been good, but overall, the poor economy has hurt business.
"People just aren't spending," she said.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Jen Garrett, owner of Simply Good Things in St. Marys, assists customer Junior Stines of St. Marys.

Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Anita Germann, owner of Anita's Morning Glory Boutique in St. Marys, arranges a display of used clothing and accessories.

Additional online stories on this date
William Meyer talks of faith, bravery at St. Henry High School
ST. HENRY - William Meyer witnessed unspeakable atrocities at the age many modern American children receive their first cellular phones.
He was 11 when Gestapo officers arrested him outside the clockmaker shop of his neighbor, Corrie ten Boom, a Jewish sympathizer. [More]
NEW BREMEN - The New Bremen girls' basketball team got out to a strong start and did not let up as the Cardinals defeated Botkins 39-26 on Monday night at Cardinal Gymnasium. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
CELINA - Some city council members are having second thoughts about allowing downtown businesses to put up sidewalk obstructions such as fences and advertising signs.
ST. MARYS - Water rates need to be raised as quickly as possible to offset funding deficits, city officials say.
City council members on Monday heard first reading of an emergency resolution that would raise water rates for St. Marys residents by 34 percent in two years.
MARIA STEIN - Treasurer Paul Gagel called the roll for the last time Monday night at the board of education meeting.
Gagel, who is retiring effecti
Coldwater
COLDWATER - Coldwater village council members on Monday approved legislation allowing the village to enter into an agreement with Miamisburg-based Solar Power and Light LLC to have solar panels installed near the wastewater treatment facility and village offices on Sycamore Street.
2013 appropriations higher than 2012
CELINA - With only one regular meeting scheduled for December, city council members on Monday night heard 20 pieces of legislation.
The centerpiece of the agenda was first reading of the 2013 budget.
ST. HENRY - Village council members on Monday heard the second of three readings to grant village employees an average 2 1/2 percent raise beginning in January.
A Celina man was sentenced recently in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court in connection with a drug-related incident.
Kyle E. Bourelle, 29, 632 Grove St., Celina, received a 9-month prison term after pleading guilty to abusing harmful intoxicants, a fifth-degree felony.
CELINA - Having a whole new team this year has Wright State University-Lake Campus women's basketball head coach Nikki Mescher joking that she feels like Kentucky men's basketball head coach John Calipari.