ReStyle Marketplace makes thrift store shopping hip.
When Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa decided to open a thrift shop, it was determined to stand out from the crowded field in more ways than one. With ReStyle Marketplace, the North Bay nonprofit is aiming not just to fund its ongoing programs but to also provide a one-stop shop for finding community, creativity, second chances—and some first-rate bargains.
The Marketplace
The idea for ReStyle Marketplace first took shape more than two years ago. In March 2011, Chuck Fernandez became the executive director of Catholic Charities after working as director of its Family Support Center since 2009. He and his team decided to take a fresh look at the organization’s operating budget and brainstorm ideas for steady streams of revenue outside the usual donations and grants.
As luck would have it, in September 2012, Fernandez and Stan Cordero, now ReStyle’s recruitment supervisor, were called to attend a conference in Kansas City, Mo., and paid a visit to TurnStyles, a high-end resale shop operated by Catholic Charities’ Northeast Kansas diocese. (There are now two TurnStyles locations in suburban Kansas City.) With their sister chapter’s success in social enterprise as inspiration, Fernandez and Cordero came home and began to flesh out plans for a store of their own. Bruce Shimzu was hired as director of business development to facilitate starting the operation, and Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and the TurnStyles staff generously shared everything from startup strategies to financial information to ongoing moral support.
The idea also gained the support of the Furth Family Foundation, the charitable foundation of philanthropists Fred and Peggy Furth, whose role is recognized in the enterprise’s full name, Mary Agatha Furth’s ReStyle Marketplace, named for Fred Furth’s mother.
Next came the difficult task of finding the right person to take the lead in making the vision a reality. “We knew we didn’t want to be any old thrift store,” says Fernandez. “We had the concept and the startup capital, but we needed someone really unique to grow the idea and make it happen.”
He found that enthusiastic leader in Holly Ware, now Catholic Charities’ director of social enterprise and ReStyle’s store manager. Ware has a background in operations management and business development, including three years with St. Helena Hospital’s thrift store, but it’s her artist’s eye and willingness to try the unexpected that have made her a perfect fit.
Ware admits to being a “serial rearranger,” moving the furniture and changing the displays until just the right balance of colors, textures and dimensions is reached. As she walks through the store, she often stops to speak to each volunteer, checking in on whether her favorite pieces in the jewelry display have sold or a new sorting system makes sense.
Once Ware came on board, Catholic Charities needed to find the perfect space for the venture. The location chosen, a 20,000-square-foot, former lighting showroom in the G & G shopping center on College Avenue in Santa Rosa, had stood vacant for two years and was a virtual blank slate when work began. They knew that to draw the merchandise and shoppers they were looking for, the store needed to shine.
“The thrift store market is a big pool, but we’re not targeting the whole pool,” says Ware. “The idea is to have items that are above standard but at low prices, and in a store that looks fabulous.”
Its “retro cool” redesign began with warm, pumpkin orange walls. An orange and tan, checkerboard linoleum floor and four large dressing rooms constructed along the back wall completed a look that says “hipster record store” instead of “bargain basement.”
Unlike your average thrift store, items aren’t strictly located in “departments,” with men’s clothes in one corner and shoes along another wall. If you’re looking for a pair of khakis for work, you’ll find them hung together neatly, but a vintage briefcase and like-new toolbox will probably be on a table nearby to tempt you. Mannequins might display how to pair the khakis with a denim shirt and Converse sneakers for a dressed-down look. Dining tables throughout the store are layered with items of similar colors and styles, whether for a wintry white dinner party or an Americana barbeque. According to Ware, it’s all meant to encourage browsing and show off each item to its full potential.
“We want people to know that we treat the items they bring us with care,” she says. “I’ve had people come in and say, ‘That was my grandmother’s. I’m so glad it’s hung up here and not just stacked in some corner collecting dust.’”
ReStyle carries furniture, housewares, clothing, accessories, books and certain electronics, media and sporting goods items, with an eye toward new or vintage items in the best condition. There’s also a small monthly budget to purchase new items at wholesale for the shop.
The east wall has a series of “concept rooms,” carefully curated scenes of furniture and home accessories similar to what you’d find at Pier 1 or Cost Plus, that give customers an idea of how items can work in their own homes. A recent bedroom layout featured a repurposed bed frame, which had been spray-painted in aquamarine and used as a headboard, along with coordinating bedding and a vintage, grass-green hamper at the foot of the bed. A home office scene included a massive mahogany desk, distressed leather seating, bookshelves and a hat rack. The store is hoping to dedicate one or two rooms to consignment sales to ensure a steady amount of larger items like furniture, rugs and artwork.
More than a thrift store
The difference between ReStyle and an average thrift store runs more than skin deep, though. The store is meant to act as an extension of Catholic Charities’ mission to bring people together.
“Obviously, we want to raise money. But we also have another mission,” says Ware. “We want this to be a community meeting place.”
To this end, the front of the store has been designed as a Wi-Fi-enabled cafe. Here, guests can sit at bistro tables under sunny windows to get some work done or meet up with friends for a mid-morning coffee break. The coffee bar also sells candies and locally made fresh-baked treats, all at seriously low prices. The cafe isn’t so much about making money—many items are sold at cost—but about drawing people in and encouraging them to stay a while. Most of the store’s books are shelved near the cafe, too, and visitors are welcome to read until they find a keeper.
ReStyle will also be offering classes for the community on skills like jewelry making and furniture refinishing. These classes will give the staff and volunteers a chance to spread the word on the importance of “repurposing,” or finding new ways to use items that might otherwise be sent to the landfill, which is another of the store’s goals. Classes will either be free or offered for a small fee and will be held in the education room, located just off the main floor of the shop.
They’re also hoping to play host to other community gatherings like meetings, concerts, poetry slams and movie nights. Ware says she’s open to suggestions for anything that will draw in a wide range of community members and help them consider this space their own.
Reaching a new audience
Even before the store opened, Ware and her team were busy trying to reach that wider audience. Their outreach began with taking out ads in parish bulletins, sending out nearly 20,000 fliers and a vigorous print media campaign. Local parishioners quickly responded with the first wave of donations and volunteers, with others soon joining in.
Ware was also determined to reach the 20- to 30-somethings more likely to get their news from social media. You can follow all the latest news on the store and its current merchandise on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. Online, Ware is also sharing links to repurposing projects and ideas, some of which can be completed with items found in the store.
Through all of this, she’s trying to create a virtual community of eco-conscious crafters, DIY enthusiasts and fashionistas, people perhaps already interested in repurposing but looking for a source for supplies and inspiration.
“This also isn’t just about being thrifty for them,” says Ware. “It’s about recycling, reusing and repurposing, but with a sense of nostalgia. Younger people are walking in and finding things grandma had and they want them for their own homes.”
Modeling students from the Julie Nation Academy in Santa Rosa have volunteered to model outfits pulled from the racks, to be displayed on the various social media pages. Ware is also looking for fashion design students who can find creative ways to repurpose clothes for resale. ReStyle isplanning to make some items available to purchase online for additional revenue.
The results of Ware’s pre-opening marketing campaign were apparent on October 26, when ReStyle’s opening day finally rolled around.
“We were hoping for 300 to 400 visitors that first day,” says Ware. “Instead, there were more than 1,300 guests.”
Though the store has been open only a few months, sales have reportedly remained steady, with a mix of new and returning customers coming in to check out the revolving inventory of bargains.
A volunteer effort
ReStyle has only four permanent staff members, so everyone from the young man ringing you up at the register to the woman serving you coffee in the cafe is likely a volunteer. Along with Ware and Cordero, Karlos Silva acts as the store’s assistant manager and Paula Hamilton is the office lead.
“We began with five volunteers in October and, by early December, there were 70,” says Cordero, smiling. “We’re hoping to get up to 200.”
Cordero usually begins by sitting down for a conversation with potential volunteers to get to know them and find out what they enjoy doing, so as to best make use of their talents and abilities. Volunteers can take on a wide range of jobs, from sorting the donations or researching them online for pricing purposes to using their artistic talents to bring dated furniture back to life.
Once items are received at the back loading dock, volunteers sort, clean and move them to racks and shelves where they’re stored before being placed on the sales floor. ReStyle offers free pick-up on larger items, but asks that donors send a picture and description of the item first to be sure it’s of use. Any clothing items that don’t meet ReStyle’s criteria, but are in fair condition, find a home with Crossing the Jordan, a Christian women’s services nonprofit in Santa Rosa, which sends them to people in need in less developed countries.
Volunteers are drawn from every part of the community. Some come from the local parishes, eager to be a part of Catholic Charities’ mission. Others have volunteered through organizations like AmeriCorps or as part of a social services or court-referred community service program. Cordero believes that creating these community service opportunities can provide critical career and life skills for these volunteers and is just another part of Catholic Charities’ rehabilitative arm. “This store isn’t just about retail, it’s about helping people,” he says.
60 years of service
The continuing success of ReStyle Marketplace will mean Catholic Charities can continue to do what it’s done in our community for 60 years: challenge poverty, counsel immigrants and care for senior citizens.
Catholic Charities began its work in the North Bay in 1954 and is a nonprofit social services agency serving people of all faiths and backgrounds. It’s affiliated with, but separate from, the Roman Catholic Church, with Bishop Robert Vasa serving as chairman of the board of directors. There are 160 other Catholic Charities agencies throughout the country, each a stand-alone nonprofit assisted by a national convening body that helps them work together.
In 2013, Catholic Charities assisted more than 15,000 people in the North Bay alone. Its emergency shelter for homeless adults, Samuel L. Jones Hall, not only provides meals and a warm, safe place to sleep, but also offers job training and help finding permanent housing. The Family Services Center is the largest shelter for families in Northern California and is connected to an array of other transitional housing options throughout the area.
Catholic Charities’ immigration services help immigrants apply for citizenship, find homes for recent refugees and facilitate family reunifications. Area seniors depend on its Alzheimer’s Respite Resource Center, transportation services and the “I’m Home Alone” program, offering housebound seniors a daily check-in phone call from a friendly volunteer.
As a for-profit business within the nonprofit Catholic Charities, 100 percent of ReStyle’s proceeds after costs go to fund these programs. Ware stresses that, when it comes to donations, program needs always come first. The staff and volunteers are notified when a transitional housing unit needs a sturdy couch, or if blankets or coats are needed for an upcoming cold snap, and they can be pulled from the floor and put directly into the hands of those who need them most.
Last year was particularly busy for Catholic Charities, with ReStyle’s grand opening in October, the Betty Kwan Chinn Day Center opening in Eureka in November and becoming the first Sonoma County nonprofit to earn accreditation through the Council of Accreditation. Fernandez is focusing on increasing the number of people served in 2014, with a top-notch staff keeping the organization running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
“I want to make sure the business is functioning well because we want to be here for a long, long time,” he says.
Sharing the mission
Turn over a price tag at ReStyle Marketplace and you’re in for a surprise…and a reminder. Stamped on most are words like “You’ve just provided a coat to someone who is cold” or “A senior just attended an Alzheimer’s respite program because of you.”
Both Ware and Fernandez describe the highlights of their days as “mission moments,” those times when they experience firsthand the difference Catholic Charities’ programs are making in people’s lives. Fernandez says he encourages all members of his staff, including himself, to frequently get away from their desks and out into the programs, so they can always remember what it is they’re working for.
“We try to share those moments with each other,” says Ware. “They’re rewarding and exciting.”
The team at ReStyle is hoping shoppers get that same satisfaction, just by doing some retail therapy in a store built to bring care to the most vulnerable among us.
“When people walk in, we want them to feel energy, positivity and hope, and to know they’re contributing to a bigger cause,” says Fernandez. “It’s the exact same feeling we hope people receive coming into one of our programs.”
