Discover hidden treasures while shopping smart at the Aspen Thrift Shop!
The Thrift Shop of Aspen storefront on a sunny day in downtown Aspen, Colorado
The Aspen Thrift Shop is a local thrift store in Aspen with a mission to repurpose donated goods. Since 1949, the Aspen Thrift Shop has been supporting the Roaring Fork Valley. Its original purpose was to help the old citizens' hospital, first providing housing for a few nurses and later providing their salaries. The thrift shop additionally decided to help the Red Brick, a school, now seen as the Red Brick Center for the Arts. Later, they expanded to support the Aspen Ski Club and the community's needs. Currently, it is a local nonprofit that is staffed solely by volunteers. “The mission of the Aspen Thrift Shop is to sell donated goods at affordable prices, to make grants to other nonprofit organizations in the Roaring Fork Valley, and to provide scholarships to Roaring Fork Valley area high school graduates.”
I had the joy of speaking with Cathy Moffroid, a passionate volunteer and board member of the Aspen Thrift Shop.
Here are some compelling questions and thoughtful answers from Cathy:
Ava: To someone who doesn’t know anything about the thrift shop, how would you describe it?
Cathy: It’s a treasure trove of donated goods, including: men’s, women’s, children’s, games, housewares, shoes, and accessories. Almost everything you can think of. Everything there is available at an affordable, reasonable price. All of the proceeds from those sales go back to the community in the form of grants and scholarships.
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Ava: What inspired you to volunteer here?
Cathy: I grew up in Aspen, and the thrift shop has always been a mainstay community-oriented business. I was thrilled to be able to join. It’s a great cross-section of women in the community working to give back.
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Ava: What is the biggest challenge you face at the Aspen Thrift Shop?
Cathy: It can sometimes be wildly overwhelming, the amount of stuff. As volunteers, we touch every piece of donated clothing that comes in. The process can be labor-intensive; items enter from the back, volunteers have to cull, organize, price, and put them on the shelves. Then we sell it, and this process creates a large volume of items, making our jobs very hands-on.
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Ava: What do you think makes the Aspen Thrift Shop stand out amongst other businesses?
Cathy: Almost 90% of the proceeds go back to the community. Annually, we get around 160 requests for funding for other local non-profits. Uniquely, we give out about $550,000 in grants to businesses and high school students. By shopping here and supporting our organization, you are benefiting the community.
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Ava: How do you advertise the Aspen Thrift Shop?
Cathy: Website, newspapers.
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What stood out to me most about my conversation with Cathy was Aspen Thrift Shop's emphasis on community. With over 230 volunteers around the valley and donating a large amount of money to other businesses and high school students, we see their commitment to help the Roaring Fork Valley.
Young Entrepreneur Corner
It was very interesting to learn about Aspen Thrift Shop as a business because they have an unusual model as a nonprofit. They survive by getting donations in terms of goods and not money, then sell those goods for cash to donate to the community
The Aspen Thrift Shop runs on volunteers, and everyone can apply as early as high school. Volunteering here is an opportunity to get involved and give back to the community while earning some helpful volunteer hours.
The Aspen Thrift Shop is located at 422 E Hopkins Ave, Aspen, CO 81611 and is open Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 3 pm, Tuesday and Thursday 4:30 - 7:00 pm. They also accept donations of gently used items. Please check their website for current needs and accepted donation types.