March 2017 North Central News

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MARCH2017NCN1-12.qxp_NCN new template 3/6/17 7:20 AM Page 1

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Second hand can mean big savings for savvy shoppers Local Postal Customer

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By Linda Tishler Levinson

Some say love is lovelier the second time around. Those who run local second-hand stores and sites say that definitely is true of shopping. “You get a lot of stuff relatively new, but much less expensively than the mall,” said Laura Kupfal, a sales associate and certified buyer for Plato’s Closet in Enfield. “With the economy such as it is, we all have plenty of things we can spend our money on,” said Jackie Leathe, general manager of Consignment Originals, which recently opened a store in Manchester. And the choices of where to buy gently used items have expanded. They include thrift stores, which accept donations of merchandise and sale items to benefit charities, consignment shops, which allow customers to sell, as well as buy, items, and even Facebook pages, which link buyers and sellers on a more local basis than broader based Internet sales sites, such as Craigslist or eBay. Sold for Good Allied’s Attic in Enfield, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, benefits the Allied Rehabilitation Center, which serves adults with intellectual disabilities. “They’re literally run by the participants that we serve,” said Marisol Suarez, who manages the store. In addition to selling the items donated to Allied’s Attic, the store assists local social service agencies who

The interior of The Second Chance Shop in Suffield, run by the Auxiliary of the Village for Families and Children in Hartford.

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need items for their clients. Suarez said they have been getting new shoppers. “People are realizing you really don’t have to spend a lot for a popular item,” she said. The Second Chance Shop in Suffield is run by the Auxiliary of the Village for Families and Children in Hartford. Run entirely by volunteers, the group gave the Village $62,000 last year, co-president Sharen Lingenfelter said, adding, “It’s amazing how much you can make.” The store has a number of steady customers, she said: “They keep coming back because they know it’s going to change all the time.” Spring cleaning for cash Consignment shops buy and sell gently used items. Leathe, of Consignment Originals, said their customers range from people who can afford expensive things to career moms and dads. “Our customer base and our consigner base is from the upper-level professional to those trying to live with a tight budget,” Leathe said. “We work hard for our customers and consigners,” she said, and they take advantage of the fact that they have five stores to help get items sold. Kupfal said Plato’s Closet specializes in young and casual items, nothing formal or mature. They try to find

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