2008 Woodie Awards
Thriftiness thrives in Mankato
Cheap treasures abound at five thrift stores in greater Mankato
by Bronson Pettitt
Issue date: 2/5/08
Section: Student Life
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In Mankato and North Mankato, thrift stores thrive. Visit each one - all five - and discover each's niche, with the unique miscellany found on every shelf and rack - and you've got a whole day of cheap entertainment. Heck, a whole weekend.
New 2 You
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Location:1838 Commerce Dr., North Mankato
Phone:385-1455
New to North Mankato, this modest thrift store has been open only a year. First known as the Treasure House in New Ulm, the five area Lutheran churches that ran it opened a store on top of the hill.
"It's been good - we've done well," manager Lila Hauch said.
Being the newbie, however, in two small cities with four other thrift stores already, was a concern.
"They thought, 'is there going to be room for another thrift store?'" Hauch said.
But having a thrift store close to North Mankato's South Central College is a benefit for those students who wouldn't have to drive to the cluster of thrift shops near Madison Avenue, Hauch said.
Proceeds fund Lutheran churches and education: from Sunday school and pre-school through high school.
Hauch said furniture and houseware are big sellers.
If you go: although small compared to the others, New 2 You has a little of everything. The store is neatly organized with appealing displays and has a "living room" feel to it. Dressing rooms are roomy, and tall, multi-faced mirrors make it convenient to try on clothing.
Again Thrift and More
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 12:30 p.m. Sunday
Location:482 Raintree Rd., Mankato
Phone:345-2409
After state and federal government cut budgets to programs that support lower-income people, the Minnesota Valley Action Council looked for ways to make up for the lost money.
Out came Again Thrift and More, located on Mankato's "bargain row" between Madison Avenue and River Hills Mall.
Proceeds go toward MVAC's general fund, which supports more than 20 programs in the nine-county area, such as Head Start, Section 8 Housing, programs that provide energy assistance, food stamps, loans, employment for seniors, aid for dislocated workers as well as homelessness prevention.
Volunteers make it happen
"What's old to someone is new to someone else," Jose Menjivar says while cleaning a glass candlestick. Menjivar is a 76-year old who works part time at Again. His primary job is sorting through donations and determining what's worthy of selling and what's junk.
Donations are brought in at the side door and Menjivar carries them to a sorting table. There, he eyes each pair of jeans, each coffee maker, cleaning and examining them with care, testing for functionality. If clothes are too dirty or have too many holes, or donations are junk, they are placed in barrels near the donation door; stuff in the barrels is taken away to most often be recycled.
Menjivar, from El Salvador, is part of a program that allows seniors to work about two years, building work ethic (arriving to work on time, working efficiently, communicating with co-workers) and then prepares them for the job market with necessary skills.
Menjivar is one of many who volunteer or work at Again - their tasks include ringing up customers at the cash register, sorting and pricing donations, arranging displays, cleaning the store.
Many of those volunteers are students.
"We couldn't do it without college students," manager Heather Condon said.
Like any thrift store, Again has had its share of strange donations: a hand grenade prompted the arrival of the bomb squad, but the grenade was dead on arrival.
If you go: Again is well organized and has a wide selection of clothes. Check out the vintage and specially priced (aka high quality) clothing for good buys. No other thrift store offers shoes this cheap: all pairs are $2. The promotions are especially popular, with $5 clothing bag sales (Sunday afternoons), half-priced sales from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday as well as a punch card that's worth $5 for every $50 purchased.
MRCI Thrift Store
Location:111 Sioux Rd., Mankato
Phone:388-3867
Now in its 16th year in the current location, MRCI Thrift Store provides volunteer opportunities for people with disabilities as well as students and community members. Proceeds go to support people with physical, emotional and developmental disabilities.
MRCI provides job skills for seniors; transportation for workers to and from their jobs; and food service. Proceeds from the thrift store also pay for employment and in-house operational costs of facilities.
In one door, out the other
"I think one of the most important parts of our store is the number of great volunteers we have," manager Laura Butzen said.
Due to the high volume of donations received, one of the store's mottos is "In one door and out the other the same day."
Because of that, MRCI's prices are relatively low, Butzen said.
If you go: MRCI has a large selection of books and houseware. Clothing is also plentiful and cheap. The store has half-price sales from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The Salvation Army
Hours: M-Fri 9:30 - 8; Sat 9:30-6
Location:201 Star St.
Phone:345-7074
Opening last May and nearly 10,000 sq. ft., the new Salvation Army Thrift Store is almost three times bigger than its previous downtown location.
That's a lot of room for a lot of stuff - and a lot of giving back to the community.
The money earned at Mankato's location stays in Mankato - meaning donations directly benefit community members who are in need.
"There's absolutely no excuse for people going hungry in Mankato," manager Trulie Bolton said.
Among its programs, the Salvation Army feeds the hungry and hosts various youth activities. The Bundle Me Warm drive hands out coats in winter, and the chapter sent 800 Christmas baskets last year.
Started in 1865 in London, the Salvation Army is a movement for the advancement of the Christian religion, with a focus on education, the relief of poverty and other charitable objects, according to salvationarmy.org.
Although it's likely the largest and oldest thrift store in Mankato, Bolton said the Salvation Army and its new location benefits many thrift shoppers - being close to two other stores, it gives customers the chance to bargain hunt.
One benefit it offers, she said, is that the Salvation Army accepts working TVs and appliances, something most other thrift stores can't accept.
If you go: The Salvation Army has the most variety of any thrift store. It seems to have the most furniture, and the half-price sales from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays (some items excluded) are a big draw. Clothes, books, housewares and miscellany are logically organized. Dressing rooms are big.
The Reporter was unable to contact Neighborhood Thrift Store, which is in lower North Mankato.
Bronson Pettitt is the Reporter editor in chief
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