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The low-slung brick building on Troutman Street is being transformed into an eco-friendly thrift shop for home goods and clothing.<\/p>\n
Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n
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A low-slung brick warehouse in a busy part of Bushwick will house Big Reuse\u2019s latest venture: A thrift store for home goods and clothing. The store at 378 Troutman St. will carry books, dishes, glasses, and other homewares.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe take in a lot more stuff and a greater variety of stuff than most thrift stores do,\u201d Big Reuse Executive Director Justin Green told Brooklyn Paper\u2019s sister site Brownstoner. \u201cThat is something we bring, a commitment to put as much as possible into reuse, and our Gowanus store has been super busy recently. There seems to be a real surge of interest in thrifting and reusing stuff and it felt like we have the momentum to keep going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nonprofit chose Bushwick because it is already busy with projects in the neighborhood and the area is a hub for thrifting. \u201cThere\u2019s so much going in that neighborhood, and lots of thrift stores already,\u201d said Green. \u201cWe think it\u2019s a destination for thrift stores and we just wanted to be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Big Reuse is building out the 5,000-square-foot space at 378 Troutman St. using salvage materials and is aiming for a mid-December opening. \u201cWe\u2019re making all the shelves ourselves out of reclaimed scaffolding lumber,\u201d said Green.<\/p>\n
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Big Reuse is reimagining a mid-century warehouse in Bushwick as a community hub for sustainable shopping.Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n
Now partitioned into three separate commercial spaces, the one-story brick building with 16-foot-high ceilings and metal roll-down gates was constructed in the 1950s as a factory, according to a 1959 certificate of occupancy. It housed a box factory and tool and hardware manufacturing in 1969, DOB records state.<\/p>\n
Because the new store is smaller than the environmental nonprofit\u2019s Gowanus center, it won\u2019t carry furniture, building salvage, or used appliances. The Gowanus store will continue to sell its full range of goods, including items of interest to DIYers and old-house renovators such as old-growth lumber, stone and wood mantels, antique doors, and vintage stoves.<\/p>\n
Big Reuse<\/a>\u00a0has already worked on a number of community projects in Bushwick, including tree pits, street tree care, and composting, with\u00a0Clean Bushwick Initiative<\/a>\u00a0and local City Council members Sandy Nurse and Jennifer Guti\u00e9rrez, said Green.<\/p>\n The nonprofit seeks to counter climate change via its community projects and reselling items to keep them out of landfill.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team at our Gowanus location has been able to do incredible work keeping materials out of the landfill, and we\u2019re looking forward to bringing this resource to a new neighborhood,\u201d said the nonprofit in a recent email newsletter announcing the new venue.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bushwick-378-troutman-street-big-reuse-10272025-sdevries-3.webp\")
Once a box and tool factory, the Troutman Street building is now getting a second life thanks to Big Reuse.Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n