Pop Some Tags and Bolster Community at Methodist Thrift

Thrifting. It's more than just an all-inclusive cost-effective way to get your holiday shopping done. At Methodist Thrift store, it's a major force for good in the Durango community. You're watching the "Local News Network", brought to you by Tafoya Barrett and Associates, and Happy Pappy's Pizza and Wings. I'm Zack Markwell. Thrift stores offer a wide variety of inexpensive, secondhand, sustainably sourced goods that might otherwise have ended up in the trash, but the benefits don't stop there for MTS.

Unlike other thrift shops in the area, most of our money stays here. We don't have a corporate office that we have to send all our money to. We have a pretty good handle on what we want to give away and to whom, which is a cool thing.

So some ways that we help the community is we have a couple of different avenues and one is funding different humanitarian causes in town. And then another way is that we partner with a couple of different organizations in town to provide folks with vouchers. So specifically we partner with "Man A Soup Kitchen". They issue out a $15 voucher for adults, $8 voucher for kiddos. And folks experiencing homelessness or who have experienced hardship going through tough times can come and redeem vouchers through us. They can just come shop with their voucher.

Additionally, for the year 2024, MTS has vowed to reinvest $100,000 into causes such as Durango Pregnancy Center, the Sexual Assault Services Organization, Alternative Horizons, Adaptive Sports, the Mercy Foundation, and more. Such a major contribution is made possible by a rather large group of community-minded people who work hard to keep the store up and running.

We have eight staff members who are paid and we also have a volunteer base, a pretty large volunteer base of 65 ish people who come in for two to five hour shifts, usually once a week, but sometimes more. We have our everydayers. They are truly the backbone and we could not do it without our volunteers.

We can always use more volunteers. So, if people want to make a difference and if they want to put in a couple hours a week, it's very rewarding and the people that work here are wonderful. And so just being part of this little community is a pretty special thing. It's just a really good opportunity to do good and be a messenger of you're good.

All that goodwill is not lost on the clientele. MTS regular and Father Tyler Wilcox walked us through the store and everything he loves about its offerings and staff.

If you look through these bins, it's beautiful. There's packages of multiple items and sometimes you find a gift and something that reminds you. I come here literally almost every day and I park right out here and I get more tickets than anybody that you can even imagine in Durango. But I come out here every day. I love this place.

With so many items being donated daily, who knows what kind of treasures are in store at MTS any given day? Whether you are a shopper or a sorter, you are sure to come across something out of the ordinary.

The most interesting item that I personally have found and sold was it was a Kentucky Fried Chicken scented fire log. It's really weird. It kind of smelled like cat food to me.

The strangest item was a camel saddle and it sat in front for quite a while before somebody bought it, evidently.

But we get a lot of really nice donations, like fur coats. We have a ton of fur coats out there right now. We are just so blessed by the folks who choose to donate to us.

With cost of living rising for Durango citizens, the efforts of Georgia, Lynn and the many volunteers are needed urgently.

I think that the way that the economy feels right now, essential items are not always affordable for families. And I think keeping things within the community, helping to keep prices low, supports the people who are in this community and keeps lower income folks around and just helps fuel our economy in a way that feels supportive for people.

You can be a part of this force of good by donating your time and secondhand goods, or simply stopping by to shop for your next favorite article or clothing or Christmas ornament. Visit the website or follow MTS on Instagram to keep up with the latest sales and offerings. Learn more about this and other stories at Durangolocal.news.