Video: Ladies of the Aspen Thrift Store

In 1949 a group of women in Aspen Colorado set a goal to establish a break room for the nurses at the hospital. The thrift shop they created never closed, and continues to fund charities throughout the Aspen Valley. Most of their sixty years, they operated out of temporary housing. They took advantage of seasonal businesses by lodging in a ski shop in the off season. Finally in 1981, they found permanent space in the fire department building, and just recently they raised over $2million in a capital campaign to rebuild the store. That campaign, supported by local as well as national organizations enabled them to expand their usable retail space over three times.

Staffed only by volunteers-between 80 and 100, depending on time of year-the shop donates 92 cents of each dollar they collect. The ladies of the thrift shop have total discretion on pricing and shelving. It's hard to imagine how the operation could have worked in such a small space. The aisles are filled with shoppers and every rack groans with merchandise. Aspen is a very high end market, even in the thrift business. The Thrift Shop has a boutique section with Armani suits and Moda Jackets. They have 7 for All Mankind jeans in really good condition and nice sweaters.

We visited the store on a Monday in the fall. The collection room overflowed with sacks of stuff to be sorted and displayed for sale or repackaged to send on. Sue Kolbe, former President of the Thrift Shop, and Nancy Gensch, long time volunteer and chair of the building committee, told us that they sell more when the racks aren't so full. Over a third of the goods donated to the thrift shop are sent "down valley" to other thrift stores and community organizations.

Their purpose is to make money to give away, and the good news is that they do that very well. This year they will give almost $500,000 to Aspen Valley organizations serving children, families, education and the environment.