It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Classy Seconds in Carson City
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 11/14/2021 - 11:54am
At Classy Second Thrift Shop, there are no worries about the sluggish supply chain when it comes to stocking the popular thrift store for the holidays. The shelves and clothing racks are brimming with holiday finds.
This thrift store’s supply chain doesn’t depend on ships stuck in harbors, transportation issues, strikes, slow-downs, lack of employees, or other mitigating circumstances associated with getting goods to the market. The Classy Seconds supply chain is the many wonderful donors who drop off hundreds of donations daily, some hardly used or in new boxes. The once cherished items find new homes where they are cherished once again.
According to Lisa Lee, Executive Director of Advocates to End Domestic Violence who also manages the association’s successful thrift store, “We accept donations of holiday items year round and then store them until about a week after Nevada Day to begin our holiday display and when we announce we’ve transformed the store to holiday mode, the clients come running!”
When walking into Classy Seconds, the Christmas spirit is everywhere. Racks are full of neatly hung winter clothing with red as the dominate color, shelves are filled with holiday décor and there’s a forest of artificial Christmas trees being sold at a fraction of the original price, some still with original tags. For those who love to decorate for the holidays or find an unusual gift, be sure to grab a cart and roam the aisles for that just-right treasure.
Lee is an artist and enjoys decorating the store seasonally; however, especially loves this season. The front window would rival any nice department store when stores once decorated their windows. She crafted the huge bells hanging from the rafters and even puts all those once popular Christmas village items in a special display.
Classy Seconds has been serving area customers for 25 years, the first 21 at their Hot Springs Road location before building their own store at the corner of Highway 50 and Gordon Street four years ago. Lee states, “At our thrift store you can find clothing of all sizes, accessories, furniture, linens, books, appliances, knick-knacks and so much more. There’s even a boutique section for those who seek once gently used high-priced brand names now offered at low prices.”
As one of the most successful thrift stores in the region, sales from donated items represent almost 50 percent of the operating costs of the association’s many programs to assist women and children touched by domestic violence and for this Lee is grateful to her loyal donors and to the customers who enjoy thrifting stating, “We love to see the smiling faces when a customer shows us their special find or tells us of the many items they found to furnish their new home or apartment.”
Donations are accepted daily with Monday and Tuesday donors totaling 160 cars each day dropping off at the back door. Lee speculates, “I think people clean their closets on weekends and we are the beneficiaries.” Staff never turns away a valuable donor. Lee adds, “If you are a thrifter, be sure to check the store often for new items are put our daily.” Professional “pickers” and other thrift store owners shop Classy Seconds almost daily to find treasures to resell in their stores.
Classy Seconds Thrift Store is open daily. Phone 775-841-7081 for hours. State of Nevada Covid regulations are in effect.
— Ronni Hannaman is the Executive Director of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce.
