Every Wednesday, at least 30 eager shoppers line up on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen outside The Thrift Box, buzzing with anticipation as they await opening time. Regulars know the drill: With the store closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, the staff uses that time to tidy up the inventory and restock the displays with the latest donations.
“The regulars want first dibs on anything new going out,” Shaye Ryall, store manager, told San José Spotlight. “The volunteers are all exhausted by the end of the day, but we end up selling around 500 items and easily take in $8,000.”
The Box, as it is known to regulars, sees approximately 140 customers on an average day. On Wednesdays, that leaps to more than 200, with everyone looking for bargains from the vast selection of books, clothes, toys, jewelry, games, artwork and collectables — all donated.
“We don’t buy anything,” volunteer Margot Harrigan told San José Spotlight. “We don’t even buy the bags that we put our merchandise in. So someone could spend $300 on designer suits, and we’re going to put them in a Safeway paper bag.”
San Jose Auxiliary for Children President Kirsten Duggin said The Thrift Box gots its name when items were sold out of boxes in the 1960s. Photo by Robert Eliason.
The Box is one of the charitable endeavors of the San Jose Auxiliary for Children, one of seven regional auxiliaries that benefits the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital Foundation. Founded in 1942 with just 12 volunteers, this local chapter now boasts more than 300 members and raises more than $1 million annually.
The Box has been in three other locations since it first opened in 1947 on the seventh floor of the Security Savings & Loan Building on First Street. Originally called The Thrift Shop, it picked up its moniker in the 1960s when, according to Auxiliary President Kirsten Duggin, things were literally sold out of boxes.
“One of the lady members had a farm, and when we needed places to put some of the merchandise, she brought in all these wooden boxes, as you can see in pictures we have hanging in the store,” Duggin told San José Spotlight.
Kirsten Duggin and Margot Harrigan stand by gently used women, men and children’s clothing. The store also has a section of designer clothes. Photo by Robert Eliason.
The fourth move, to the current location in Willow Glen, was the charm. One of the volunteers, a real estate agent, suggested buying the building which, according to Duggin, met resistance from the husbands of the members.
“They told her that it was too much risk,” she said. “We went ahead and bought the building anyway. And if we hadn’t, we wouldn’t exist because we would have had to shut down during COVID.”
Donations from the public fuel the store, and at any given time there may be as many people dropping off gently used goods at the back entrance as there are lined up at the registers at the front of the shop.
Most of the goods are taken to the second floor, where they are sorted and graded, checked for missing parts or damage and, in the case of electronics, tested to make sure they’re still functional.
The quality is easily a notch above what anyone would expect for a thrift store. Cases display gold and silver jewelry and Waterford crystal. A nearby table holds what is left of a large collection of vintage nutcrackers. Harrigan points out a vintage Diane Von Furstenberg blouse while Duggin enthuses over a set of Haviland Limoges china.
“It’s so practical for a big dinner like Thanksgiving,” Duggin said. “It saves the expense of going to a store. People have come in to buy sets for one occasion, and then they’ll bring it right back and re-donate it.”
Turnover is relentless. Whatever does not get scooped up on the Wednesday new inventory blitzes might be marked down later in the week or offered in one-day themed sales. Duggin said one sale of jewelry netted The Box $12,000 in four hours; a sale of furs, scarves and handbags pulled in $7,000.
Cases display gold, silver and other unique jewelry. Photo by Robert Eliason.
Customer Cheryl Halborsen has been shopping at The Thrift Box for roughly 20 years. There is a personal connection with the shop: Her mother volunteered there for 25 years.
“My mom made it her own thing,” she told San José Spotlight. “She did the ironing for all the clothes and made things like pillowcases, which she donated.”
Halborsen found a few holiday items for her 13-month-old granddaughter, including a book and toy drum.
“There’s always really good finds,” she said. “It’s just amazing to see so many people working here. They do a great job. They raise a lot of money, and it’s all for a wonderful cause.”
One of the more popular events is the annual Bag Day, which will be held on Dec. 13. Customers are given a bag when they walk in, and whatever fits in the bag is theirs for $6. Bag Day is preceded by Half-Price Days on Dec. 11 and 12, when everything in the store is reduced by 50%.
On Dec. 14, The Box closes for reorganization and a much-needed rest for the volunteers. Then it reopens on Jan. 6 packed with new bargains and a renewed energy.
“It’s exhausting,” Harrigan told San José Spotlight. “But we are probably the most successful store on the avenue, certainly the most unique. We believe in everything we do, and we are doing our best to giving back.”
Contact Robert Eliason at [email protected].
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The Thrift Box
1360 Lincoln Ave. in San Jose
(408) 294-4490
Hours:
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed Sunday to Tuesday
The Thrift Box will be closed on Nov. 27 and Dec. 10
Donations accepted Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.