Thrift stores get net saavy

Mennonite Central Committee
Saturday, 24 June 2000

LITITZ, Pa. -- Looking for new ways to market valuable items, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) thrift shops are getting on the information superhighway.

Thrift shop managers and board members from Canada and the United States gathered in June for MCC thrift workshops. More than 142 MCC volunteers and staff attended the event from 52 shops.

A session on selling items using the World Wide Web's popular online auction site, E-bay, drew the attention of several participants including Marlene Leichty of Crowded Closet thrift store in Iowa City, Iowa. "We often receive books and other items that we know are valuable. So using the internet is something we are very interested in." Leichty, who has been with Crowded Closet for 27 years, says the idea of using the web thrills her. "I don't know much about it yet, but this is going to be exciting. I'm hoping we can draw young people to volunteer with us and help us get on-line."

"The purpose of workshops is to educate and inspire managers and board members, to give them a forum for new ideas and a time to share things that work and don't work," said Cindy Smoker of MCC Constituency Ministries, who organized the workshops. "We had good interest this year around the idea of selling items on-line. We are hoping to make it a major concept next year."

In 1999, MCC thrift shops in Canada and the United States contributed $7.5 million Cdn./$5 million U.S. to MCC national and overseas programs.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org