Second-hand and gently used clothes go back to school

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August 25, 2010

Ethan Forman The Salem News The Salem News Wed Aug 25, 2010, 12:43 AM EDT

DANVERS — When parents think of where to go for back-to-school stuff, they probably think of department stores like Macy’s, retailers like the Gap or Abercrombie & Fitch, or deep discounters like Kohl’s or Marshall’s.

But with many feeling the pinch, parents are turning to thrift stores to get their back-to-school shopping done. There are those who don’t mind if their kids’ clothes and backpacks are heading to class for a second time, so long as these gently used items come at a bargain price.

That’s the case of Emily Korkaris of Danvers, a modern Greek teacher at Peabody High, who wound up at Savers in the Endicott Plaza in Danvers Monday shopping for her daughter, Christina Kalafatis, 21, who attends a residential school on Cape Cod. Korkaris also has to shop for two other grown daughters, one who’s still in college.

“They have very nice things and reasonable prices,” Korkaris said of Savers. The single mom was stocking up on gently used jeans for her daughters.

“They are all brand names so their thirst for their names are satisfied, but I will not have paid $100,” she said.

The thrift stores many like Korkaris are turning to are not poorly lit stores whose clothes have seen better days.

“It’s an upscale thrift,” said Savers manager Tina Sherman. The Danvers store was clean, bright, with wide aisles and no hand-drawn signs.

In fact, the Danvers Savers is part of a for-profit chain of 220 resale shops in the United States, Canada and Australia, with names including Value Village. Savers also features a community donation center that works with nonprofits, Sherman said. The Danvers store works with the Epilepsy Foundation. Savers buys merchandise that nonprofits collect, then sells the used clothing, shoes, furniture and housewares in its stores. It recycles the rest.

“Absolutely they school shop here,” Sherman said of parents. “We have seen a lot of people here this year.”

The National Association of Retail and Thrift Shops, NARTS for short, says the appeal of thrift stores is growing for back-to-school shopping as the economy sputters along.

For the first time last year, thrift stores and resellers were included in the National Retail Federation’s 2010 back-to-school survey. This year, the survey shows parents planned to spend an average of $606.40 on back-to-school clothes, shoes and supplies, with spending for children’s needs reaching $21.35 billion this year.

A lot of those families will be heading to thrift stores, about 17 percent of families, the National Retail Federation says, though that number is down slightly from 18.2 percent in 2009.

In the Northeast, 13.4 percent of survey respondents said they planned to shop thrift and resale stores this year.

The National Retail Federation survey showed more families preferred back-to-school shopping for their college-age kids, with 18.9 percent planning to hit the thrifts, up from 14 percent in 2007.

Sherman, the Savers manager, said college kids, for instance, can pick up a set of dishes for $5. The store even runs a Labor Day back-to-school sale with clothing marked down 50 percent.

“I’m not going to pay $50 a pair,” Korkaris said of her daughter’s love of Vans sneakers. “I pay $15.”

Nearby in the same plaza, the Children’s Orchard is seeing its busiest season as it features gently used clothing and other accessories for infants all the way to size 14.

“That is probably the time of year when we see the most traffic,” said Liz Moore, who has owned the store for nine years. This year, a lot of her customers are trying to save by shopping at the “resale/retail boutique,” which features brand-name, mostly “gently used” kids’ clothing and accessories, among other things.

Employee Marie Velleisle said parents can get name brands for a fraction of a price.

“They can’t afford to go to the Gap anymore,” Velleisle said. “You are paying $40 for a pair of pants.” It’s hard for parents to justify those prices when their children will soon grow out of that clothing.

Last Saturday, the store ran a sale where, for $10, back-to-school shoppers and others could stuff a bag with items on clearance.

“We just went to Children’s Orchard for their fill-a-bag deal this Saturday,” Helen Yellin of Salem said in an e-mail. “You fill a plastic grocery bag for $10, so we tend to supplement out our wardrobe with this.”

Yellin said she was not sure whether thrift stores were a sign of economic constraints or just a “greener” way to live. “We like to find alternative avenues to purchase clothing for fun and for thriftiness,” she said.

Moore, too, said recycling is an important factor for her store, where most items are under $7.99.

One local traditional thrift is seeing an increase in back-to-school shoppers, too.

At Beverly’s Boots, Straps and More, assistant thrift store manager Lisa Willwerth said she sees a lot of people coming in to do their back-to-school shopping.

“We are as busy as ever,” said Willwerth. “We have a lot of college kids looking for furniture, dishes and housewares for their apartments.” The thrift is run by the nonprofit Beverly Bootstraps Community Services Inc., which uses the proceeds from the store at 198 Rantoul St. to boost its assistance programs.

The store, which relies on donations, also tries to be particular about what it puts out for sale. It, too, carries brand names. Some of the kids’ clothing is new, with the tags still on, donated by parents whose children never wore them.

And you can’t beat the prices at Boots, Straps and More: Children’s clothing articles cost $1 to $2 apiece.

Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673 or by e-mail at eforman@salemnews.com.

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