Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Been a little while since we had an update from Rick Doan at Interfaith Social Services here in Quincy. So he's back. Hey, Rick, Good to see you.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: Good to see you, too.
[00:00:07] Speaker A: Happy Summertime.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Yeah, likewise.
[00:00:10] Speaker A: It's almost over.
[00:00:11] Speaker B: Well, no, we still got a couple more weeks.
Don't want to lose that hope yet.
[00:00:16] Speaker A: Stretch it out as long as possible.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Absolutely. We only have some few beautiful weeks here in New England.
[00:00:21] Speaker A: All right, very good. Before we talk about all, we got to talk about today. And you brought some show and tell with you.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: I brought some show and tell. I did.
[00:00:27] Speaker A: Speaking of summertime, you're already in back to school mode at Interfaith.
[00:00:31] Speaker B: I'm sure we are. You know, we anticipate over the next couple weeks, we've already started distributing backpacks with school supplies to the kids served by our food pantry.
And so we need about 900 backpacks with all the school supplies, which logistically is a lot.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:00:46] Speaker B: And there's the thing that's been really awesome. There's always been individuals that have contributed over the last couple years where they might get a couple together and they put backpacks together with their kids.
More and more businesses are doing it where they're mobilizing their employees, putting the backpacks together, assembling them, bringing them in.
If people watch our social media channel, they'll see some amazing youth in our community that are bringing in 100 backpacks.
It's amazing.
[00:01:15] Speaker A: That's nice. Very nice.
[00:01:16] Speaker B: It's really fun.
[00:01:17] Speaker A: So you're pretty much set.
[00:01:19] Speaker B: We're doing good. We will never say no. Of course, we always need more.
And especially what happens is we distribute them through August.
The first couple weeks in September, people come to the food pantry and go, do you have any left? I wasn't. But it's, you know, the kids start school and then the parents were like, oh, I got all these things and I don't have the money.
[00:01:38] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:01:38] Speaker B: To buy these school supplies. And that's why we're there to help them out.
[00:01:42] Speaker A: And as we know, nothing's getting cheaper.
[00:01:43] Speaker B: No, it is not.
[00:01:44] Speaker A: Everything is getting worse.
Folks want to contribute to that drive. How do they do that?
[00:01:49] Speaker B: They can go right to our website.
[00:01:50] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:01:50] Speaker B: You know, go to our website. They can make a donation. And when anybody makes a donation, if they want it to go to a specific thing, they can just write it right there when they're making that donation.
So we have lots of people that help out. They give monthly, and they say, I want this to buy milk. I want this to buy Eggs.
[00:02:08] Speaker A: Oh, really? That's specific.
[00:02:09] Speaker B: And we do that.
[00:02:10] Speaker A: Okay, that's good to know, actually, because if folks have a certain area that they feel there is a need for. Sure. Okay, good to know. I didn't know that, actually. One more just quick summer question about do you still do plant, grow, share?
[00:02:23] Speaker B: We do. And so people, you know, if they're starting to harvest.
[00:02:26] Speaker A: Yes. Well, tomatoes and corn in August, Right? Yeah.
[00:02:29] Speaker B: When they're starting. Our food pantry is open any day to accept those extra donations.
We ask that people come in the afternoons because the morning is just so busy around our building. But if people bring their donations in the afternoon, we have volunteers that can take it and get it ready for distribution that next day to our clients.
[00:02:47] Speaker A: Okay, good.
[00:02:48] Speaker B: So anybody who has extra produce from their gardens, we welcome it.
[00:02:51] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: And then they can stay and shop at the Burra d' or thrift shop.
[00:02:54] Speaker A: Oh, there's that too.
A nice transition.
Speaking of busy, Adam street is done.
You're open again.
Has it been a year?
[00:03:05] Speaker B: So they started. We've had road construction around our building.
Water went through, and then gas went through, and then they ripped up the asphalt, and then it is beautifully redone.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:03:19] Speaker B: And so that's the main announcement. Our building is accessible. People can come in and shop at our thrift shop, drop off donations.
It was rough.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:03:28] Speaker B: It's been. We had a rough couple months.
[00:03:30] Speaker A: Well, it's a challenge even when it's not under construction, because the volume of traffic there. But you start closing down lanes for repaving.
[00:03:37] Speaker B: Or entire streets.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Or entire streets, for that matter.
[00:03:40] Speaker B: Or a neighborhood.
But what was amazing.
So every road would be closed around our building.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: And I'm like, oh, you know, how.
[00:03:48] Speaker A: Are they gonna get here? Right.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: And people still come out to the thrift shop.
[00:03:51] Speaker A: Do they really?
[00:03:51] Speaker B: Like, we have some really loyal customers.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: They had to walk from a distance.
[00:03:55] Speaker B: Though, park far away, you know, and navigate their way in. Yeah. It's amazing how loyal our customers are.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: Okay, so that's the focus today is.
[00:04:03] Speaker B: The bureau drawer thrift store.
[00:04:04] Speaker A: That's what we're talking about before we do a little home shopping network here.
[00:04:08] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:09] Speaker A: Tell us about the store itself, the shop.
[00:04:11] Speaker B: So it's been just over 50 years that the shop has been operated. 50.
So back in the mid-70s, we.
The same year, a lot of things happened.
Our food pantry opened, and the thrift shop opened, and we started our 5K, our walkathon. Everything happened the same year.
[00:04:31] Speaker A: Do you know what triggered that?
[00:04:32] Speaker B: I do. It was there was.
There was A large funder. It was a foundation that said, we're not going to be able to support your efforts unless you merge with this nonprofit in Boston.
[00:04:42] Speaker A: Oh.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: And at the time, the board of directors said, we want to be here to serve people in Quincy. We don't want to merge with an organization in Boston. We want to maintain our roots here in the community.
And so they said, we need to figure this out on our own. And so they started the thrift shop as a fundraiser to support our programs. They started the 5k as a fundraiser to support our programs.
And at the same time, they're like, hey, we're hearing about a need in the community. Let's start the food pantry.
[00:05:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:05:11] Speaker B: So it was a milestone year, and the thrift shop was started off. We still have people volunteering now where their grandparents volunteered, and now they're retired and volunteering.
[00:05:24] Speaker A: Generational.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Volunteers. Wow. How about that? So it really was. It was, I think, Protestant social service bureau at the time.
[00:05:31] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:05:31] Speaker A: Saying, we want to stay independent. We want to stay Quincy based, locally based. Okay. So it was a challenge, but also.
[00:05:38] Speaker B: An opportunity to grow, as with most things like that.
[00:05:40] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:05:41] Speaker B: I'm sure I'm giving the nuanced. I'm sure there are a lot of heated conversations and a lot of hand wringing.
[00:05:48] Speaker A: Well, because it was uncharted territory, right?
[00:05:51] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:05:52] Speaker A: You were just a counseling center up until that point, mostly. Right.
[00:05:56] Speaker B: Really? Yeah. And we did foster care and adoption back then, too.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: Oh, you did? Okay.
[00:06:00] Speaker B: That was a big part of what we did for a long time. We had group homes.
What's amazing, we have donors today that went through those group homes as teenagers, and now they are established members of the community. Giving back, that's the ultimate goal, right? It is, but it's a legacy of service. I mean, that's what we.
[00:06:21] Speaker A: Who we.
[00:06:22] Speaker B: While we have the food pantry, we have the counseling center, we have the thrift shop. All of that exists because a community is supporting it.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: A community of people who donate money, who donate time and donate product. The thrift shop could only exist because people drop off those donations.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: That's right. Yeah. You're not having tractor trailers making deliveries every day.
[00:06:41] Speaker B: No, we do not. Not of clothing.
[00:06:43] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. Now onto the main events. What can we find at the beer or drawer thrift shop?
[00:06:49] Speaker B: It is quite a variety of items.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:06:52] Speaker B: One of the main things that I'll show is clothing.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: Oh, yes.
[00:06:56] Speaker B: So we have great clothing that comes into the bureau drawer.
[00:07:01] Speaker A: All right.
[00:07:02] Speaker B: Many of it. This with tags on. Still.
[00:07:05] Speaker A: Still brand new. New.
[00:07:06] Speaker B: Brand new clothing with tags on.
One of the main things we have is clothing. So that's why I brought in clothing today. This is not mine.
[00:07:16] Speaker A: No, obviously.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: But when I asked the thrift shop, we have some amazing volunteers who care deeply about the shop.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Yes. And.
[00:07:24] Speaker B: And are also highly selective about the items that they put out for sale.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: So when our clients, Our customers come in, they know they're getting the best.
We don't put out stained, ripped clothing at the same time. We welcome all donations because we get the best clothing. We put it out there in the thrift shop. We donate father bills. We have a relationship with them. They come every week to pick up clothing.
So we allocate clothing for father bills, clients, and then also other items. We have a clothing distributor that comes in and buys bulk clothing that we're not going to use.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Is that right?
[00:08:06] Speaker B: And they will either resell it other places or they'll recycle it.
[00:08:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:08:11] Speaker B: So that's.
[00:08:11] Speaker A: Nothing goes to waste.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Well, we encourage everybody to drop it off because many times those roadside bins that people see.
[00:08:18] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:08:19] Speaker B: Are not being reused.
[00:08:21] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:08:22] Speaker B: That those bins, people have good clothing and they put it in those bins, imagining somebody is going to reuse. That somebody can use these sneakers. I've only used them two times.
[00:08:34] Speaker A: Correct. Yeah.
[00:08:34] Speaker B: These jeans. And then they get recycled and they get processed into baby wipes and furniture and things like that.
Which is not a bad thing.
[00:08:45] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:46] Speaker B: But it's not really what a lot.
[00:08:47] Speaker A: Of people want to have the intended purpose. Yeah.
[00:08:50] Speaker B: They want that to be reused.
And so that's why we encourage people to make an appointment, come in, drop off their donations so that they stay here in Quincy and help people in Quincy. Because the proceeds we make from the shop are supporting our food pantry, mental health counseling center, homelessness prevention.
[00:09:09] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. How are, like, prices determined, Rick? How does that happen?
[00:09:13] Speaker B: So it depends on the brands.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: Oh, okay.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: We have pricing that are based on brands. It is a fraction of what it.
[00:09:21] Speaker A: Would be in stores.
[00:09:22] Speaker B: But it is not free.
And it is not a yard sale.
This is a fundraiser. So sometimes people come in and they're like, this, this sweater's $30, or this sweater is $15 or $10, whatever it is.
And they're expecting it kind of be like a yard sale kind of thing.
If this is a name brand that's selling first two or $300, we are gonna price it a little bit higher.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Sure. Yeah.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: But you're getting a bargain.
[00:09:50] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:09:50] Speaker B: You're getting a Bargain.
[00:09:52] Speaker A: Well, and it's a win, win. Because you're also contributing to Interfaith's mission. Exactly. Right.
[00:09:56] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:09:57] Speaker A: And I'm sure, I'm sure, you know, you get those folks that question the price, but you also get folks that say, here, take not a lot. Right.
[00:10:03] Speaker B: Most people are happy to do it and they come in and they just. They know that what they're doing is supporting a bigger cause. But clothing is one of the things.
[00:10:13] Speaker A: So this is women's clothing, men's clothing.
[00:10:15] Speaker B: We take all clothing, Children's. Yep. All types of clothing. But a lot of it is women's clothing.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: A lot of it. That's one of the biggest things. And likewise, home decor items.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: Oh, look at that.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: Are always, always available.
[00:10:27] Speaker A: You've instantly dressed up our set here. Yes. So slide that over here. We can decorate this corner.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Home decor is always available.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: Here we go.
[00:10:36] Speaker B: And the other thing we have that a lot of people. So we get antiques items. This is France.
The one touch automatic gas lighter gift.
[00:10:50] Speaker A: Set right up to that camera over there. Rick.
[00:10:52] Speaker B: This is from. This is totally. I feel like QVC. This is from the 1950s.
They don't make them like they used to.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: Obviously it was somebody cleaning out a parent's dresser, perhaps, or something. Yeah, yeah.
[00:11:04] Speaker B: So they were clearing it out and has.
You can't find items like this in the store anymore. So like these types of. One of a kind items, antiques like this, you'll find them in the thrift shop. But also people might find them on our ebay store.
[00:11:21] Speaker A: Oh, what is the ebay store?
[00:11:23] Speaker B: So if you go on ebay, it's bureau drawer thrift shop.
And there are items that we know don't really have a market sometimes in the area or will make more online.
We sold an accordion.
[00:11:38] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: To a guy in Florida.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: No kidding.
[00:11:41] Speaker B: For $500.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:43] Speaker B: I don't think anybody in Quincy, you know, it's not your normal thing when you go into a thrift shop that you find that accordion. We get. We got a 12 string guitar last week.
[00:11:52] Speaker A: Interesting.
[00:11:55] Speaker B: So there are items that we put on there that really a wider market needs access to.
[00:12:00] Speaker A: All right, okay.
[00:12:01] Speaker B: But also we want to make the most we can. This is a fundraiser.
So we have some great stuff on that shop and it's all over the place.
It's clothing, it's shoes, it's toys.
We sold an action figure for $900 on eBay.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: What?
[00:12:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:17] Speaker A: What action figure?
[00:12:18] Speaker B: It was. I know what it was because I'm an action figure collector. And when the donation came in, they said, rick, we got some. I said, this is going to be worth money. It was the titan action from 1980s Clash of the Titans, the Kraken.
[00:12:32] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:12:32] Speaker B: If anybody's seen it, it's Claymation in the movie. And it was this action figure. And I knew that it would sell for a lot because I'm an action figure.
[00:12:41] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:12:41] Speaker B: Action figures and Legos, that's my thing.
[00:12:44] Speaker A: Okay, well, that's great.
[00:12:45] Speaker B: Yeah. Now you know a little something about me.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: There's a little insight into Rick's personal life.
[00:12:50] Speaker B: But we also, you know, wallets.
[00:12:53] Speaker A: Looks like a lady's wallet, little ladies wallets, perfume, just unopened, brand new.
[00:12:59] Speaker B: A lot of brand new stuff that we encourage people to bring in. Also, I had no idea that there was a collector's item is perfume.
[00:13:09] Speaker A: Did you know? I know bottles. Some bottles.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: The bottles. But even old perfume, if perfume's like 50 or 60 years old, I'd be like, oh, this is bad.
[00:13:17] Speaker A: No, it gets better. Like wine.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: Apparently it's a collector's item.
[00:13:21] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. So hopefully this is encouraging folks to look through their own things, right?
[00:13:26] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:13:26] Speaker A: And make donations as well.
[00:13:28] Speaker B: Yeah. So no, just home decor. This is the last item from the basket.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: Ah, lovely.
[00:13:32] Speaker B: There's always just random things coming in.
[00:13:35] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: There are a few things we can't take, though.
[00:13:39] Speaker A: Oh, please tell us. Yeah.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: So a lot of people reach out with furniture, couches, mattresses.
We can't take any of those items. We encourage people post it on Craigslist.
[00:13:50] Speaker A: Facebook, and maybe sell it on your own and then donate that money.
[00:13:54] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:13:55] Speaker A: You know, if you wanted to do.
[00:13:56] Speaker B: That, a lot of times people aren't even buying that kind of stuff. Like you can try to, but post it for free.
The big one is baby items like baby carriers, baby seats, high chairs children have outgrown.
[00:14:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:13] Speaker B: They're legal restrictions on reselling those items.
[00:14:17] Speaker A: I know car seats expire.
They have expiration dates.
[00:14:20] Speaker B: But there's so many recalls.
[00:14:21] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: There's so many recalls out there. So we can't resell those big baby items.
And a lot of people reach out.
[00:14:31] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: With those types of things, wanting to donate them.
[00:14:33] Speaker A: Obviously, again, good intentions, right?
[00:14:35] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: Thinking I had a young family, these things were expensive. It might be able to help them, but there's legal ramifications.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: Well, and if they want to help a young family, post it for free on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. And they'll be able to help a young family or somebody else who's struggling.
Books, a lot of people. We have hundreds of thousands. Not hundreds of thousands.
Thousands of books in our inventory.
And a lot of people come in looking for books. But all the children's books we don't sell in the thrift shop, they go right to our food pantry. And we give those out for free.
[00:15:09] Speaker A: With the food donation.
[00:15:10] Speaker B: Exactly. We gave out 17,000 books last year.
[00:15:13] Speaker A: That's great.
[00:15:13] Speaker B: To the kids served by our food pantry.
[00:15:15] Speaker A: Very nice. But you'll take book donations also, because a lot of folks don't know what to do with them. If they're cleaning out a house, we'll take them.
[00:15:21] Speaker B: And we actually have a partnership with the library.
[00:15:23] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: So when the library is clearing out their children's books and they donate them over, so then we can distribute them. Right. To the. Very good 80% of our clients that come from Quincy.
[00:15:34] Speaker A: Very good. Very good. The store itself, where and when is it open?
[00:15:40] Speaker B: That's the big thing. We are now expanded hours.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: Oh.
[00:15:43] Speaker B: So our shop.
[00:15:44] Speaker A: The presses. That's right.
[00:15:45] Speaker B: That's the big news.
[00:15:46] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:15:47] Speaker B: Our shop is located at 105 Adam street in the back of our building.
And we are open now on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings and Saturdays.
[00:15:58] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:15:59] Speaker B: And we're open Monday through Friday every afternoon.
[00:16:01] Speaker A: Oh, okay. And that's both for donations and for shopping.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:16:05] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: Yeah. And for a long time, we haven't been. We hadn't been open on Saturdays. We just started doing that a couple months ago, opening on Saturdays for donations and sales.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: Did you get more volunteers that way?
[00:16:16] Speaker B: You're able to. Yeah.
[00:16:17] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:16:17] Speaker B: We have to. And it opens it up for volunteers. There's some people that shouldn't volunteer during the week.
[00:16:21] Speaker A: No. If you work during the week, they.
[00:16:22] Speaker B: Can now volunteer on Saturdays.
[00:16:24] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:16:24] Speaker B: We're always looking for volunteers in our food pantry and our thrift shop.
There is a level of.
[00:16:33] Speaker A: Physicality.
[00:16:34] Speaker B: Physicality.
[00:16:35] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:16:35] Speaker B: That's a good. It's a lot of lifting. Yeah, it's a lot of lifting and moving, but you also get to see the first picture.
[00:16:42] Speaker A: I was going to say you could do your shopping first.
Get the picks. Yeah.
[00:16:46] Speaker B: Best customers are our volunteers, for sure.
[00:16:49] Speaker A: I'm sure.
No, but I mean, like a box of books that can be heavy or even a box of clothing certainly has some weight to it. So. Okay. So keep that in mind as well.
[00:16:59] Speaker B: And also, we need people in our thrift shop that know brands.
[00:17:03] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:17:04] Speaker B: That can identify them.
So there's lots of people who like to shop but might not know the brands.
[00:17:10] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: But it's not a disqualifier. But it's a good. It helps out.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: But it sounds like, too, that you could go in and before you even do any shopping, ask the volunteers if they have a certain item of clothing. And they would know, right?
[00:17:23] Speaker B: Yeah, they will. And especially our thrift shop managers. So Charlene and Judy are the managers of the thrift shop.
We have people who say, hey, can you keep your eye out for something for me?
And they become kind of their personal shoppers.
[00:17:36] Speaker A: Sure, sure, sure.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: Everything comes through there, especially if it was made for tv.
Every made for TV product eventually ends up at a thrift store.
[00:17:44] Speaker A: As seen on.
[00:17:44] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:17:45] Speaker A: Okay. Do you have dressing rooms, by the way, folks?
[00:17:47] Speaker B: We do not, actually.
During the pandemic, almost all thrift shops got rid of dressing rooms.
So we don't have dressing rooms. We have started doing something new. We are going to have a tent sale every quarter.
[00:18:01] Speaker A: Oh, okay.
[00:18:02] Speaker B: So we had one a couple weeks ago where everything is priced $2.
[00:18:06] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:18:07] Speaker B: It was fun.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: All right. Yeah, we'll look for that. Great to see you, Rick.
[00:18:11] Speaker B: Good to see you, too.
[00:18:12] Speaker A: Thank you for bringing this display.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: Hey, all my clothes come from the bureau drawer. I'm a walking billboard. I love it. I'm one of their best customers.
[00:18:21] Speaker A: We'll have you back. I know you're getting ready for the holidays, but we'll have you back before then. Talk about that.
[00:18:25] Speaker B: Gearing up for it.
[00:18:26] Speaker A: All right. Thanks again.
[00:18:27] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:18:27] Speaker A: You're welcome. Trust me.
