Impact Thrift Store Feasterville Grand Opening

As we head in to Earth Day weekend, most folks will be spending a lot of time outdoors, but there are some great indoor options that you can pursue in order to create and maintain sustainable practices that are good for the planet. As I spoke about a few weeks ago, raising kids can be expensive when it comes to clothing them in high quality and sustainable clothing. However, one way in which we have been doing so with the Tomato is by shopping at thrift stores. By purchasing previously owned clothing, we are voting with our dollars to keep clothing production at a minimum and being thrifty with our money.

Recently, Impact Thrift Stores reached out to me to attend their preview opening, have an exclusive interview with their Community Outreach Director, Tamika Miller, and browse and shop for great thrift store finds. Currently, Impact, which has been in existence for 10 years, has four store locations. Their goal is to establish a new store every 2 years. The newest one is a 40,000 square foot mega thrift store located in Feasterville, PA. The company takes donations at each store and you can organize large item pick ups from your house by calling and setting up a pick up date. This non-profit organization helps to financially support many local charities, such as the North Penn Valley Boys & Girls Club and Jewish Family & Children’s Services. They also work with programs such as those who support foster care families and “Dress for Your Job” by providing them with discounted clothing items. Currently, they have surpassed $1.4 million in donations and this new location stands to push them further in their ability to give back locally.

On Tuesday, I drove up to the new Feasterville store with my mom and Tomato in tow. It is an easy drive for both Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents. The store is located in the Bucks Crossing Shopping Center at the intersection of Street Road and Bustleton Avenue.  At 40,000 square feet, Impact Thrift Store has a great space to display their donated goods in a variety of departments. I loved that the store is laid out like a department store.

Unbelievable amount of space for a thrift shop!

Clothing for all genders and ages

A large furniture selection for everything from dining room sets…

…to sofas…

…to cabinets and lamps.

The layout makes browsing easy, allows shoppers to see how furniture could be set up at home and helps you stay organized as a shopper. Tamika Miller walked me through each department, while my Mom and Tomato played up and down the aisles and did some pre-shopping. Tamika informed me about the companies charitable giving, took me behind the scenes to see the well organized and discerning processing center and we discussed how thrift store shopping can help families to be sustainable and economical.

I was struck by the volume of donations that were in the processing center and asked if all of the items are put out for purchase. Tamika explained that they review each item carefully, clean it thoroughly and discern the quality before putting it out. Any surplus items are recycled in a variety of ways instead of being put out in the trash. Clothing may become recycled cotton, sold by the pound in order to raise more charity money, donated to programs that send clothes to Third World countries, or end up at area homeless shelters. Electronics will be recycled for valuable metals. I was pleased to see that a company that is striving to make a bigger charitable impact locally is conscious of making a smaller global environmental impact.

Future classroom space

One of the more unique aspects of Impact is that they anticipate holding classes at the Feasterville store. What kind of classes can a thrift store provide, you ask? They are looking forward to having classes on how to repurpose your purchases. For example, you may be able to learn how to refinish a table and chairs or upcycle one garment into another garment. These and other ideas will be great ways for folks to learn about being sustainable and thrifty! They will be releasing full details about specific classes in the Fall.

So, if we are talking about thrift shops, then we have to talk about fun and unique finds and great prices. Both are here at Impact!

Need an organ? You got it!

BBQ? Done.

Yes, that says $150 for a dining room table with 4 chairs!

Rows of brand new glassware (label and all!)

Vintage Pyrex!

Kitchen wares aplenty!

Rows and rows of books

Fun Bric-a-Brac section

Great fitness equipment and delivery is available. You have 7 days to try it out to see if it works. If not, it can be returned.

Electronics are fully tested to make sure that they work well.

Appliances are available with a 7 day return policy.

Yarn! A great find for knitters!

Toys and games for the kids

Great dishware selection

Pottery Barn decorations for a fraction of the price that I bought them at the store

Kids’ clothes

Our haul for the day for Tomato

If you click on this picture, you can see that for 7 pieces of clothing, we paid $10.45. Yes, $10.45.

Folks are welcome to shop at the store Monday through Friday from 10-8 and Saturdays 10-6. The Grand Opening of the Feasterville store is this Saturday, April 21st from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The store will have door prizes for the first 100 families through the door, balloon animals, a fashion show and opportunities to “pick a discount” out of a hat.

Overall, I was impressed with the size and organization of the store. The folks working in the place were very friendly and the ease with which you can get to the store on major highways and roads was a huge plus. I do wish the children’s clothing section had a wider selection, but that all depends on what is coming in for donations and may be in flux throughout the year. I think the store is a great economical and sustainable addition to the area and I wish them good luck with its opening tomorrow!