This year, participants in Buy Local, Give Local Week will have the opportunity to give nationally by visiting the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop and Cherry Picked Thrift Store.
Located at 920 Wilshire Blvd., the Discovery Shop accepts donations of gently used clothing, jewelry, collectibles, furniture and antiques for resale. Funds raised from the sale of these donated items are used by the ACS to support the fight against cancer.
At 2807 Pico Blvd., Cherry Picked Thrift Shop is a volunteer nonprofit store that supports charities and other organizations on the Westside. Purchases made here during Buy Local, Give Local Week will help support SAVES Food Bank in Culver City and the New Direction Vets Program.
This summer, the Discovery Shop celebrates its 10th year as a part of the Santa Monica community.
"Santa Monica is great about buying local and giving local," said Tonya Wagner, manager of the Discovery Shop. "People in the community are always looking for a way to donate. While the shop is a division of a national organization, the process of resale is local from start to finish. The items we have in the shop have been donated locally, 100 percent from people in the community."
Once the items are donated, volunteers help process the items and prepare them for resale.
"A lot of [those volunteers] are from Santa Monica," Wagner said.
Supported by local communities, the Discovery Shops have assisted in the prevention or early detection of cancer by raising more than $308 million dollars for the ACS since the program began in 1965, according to a statement.
Justine Roncone, founder and manager of Cherry Picked Thrift Shop, spoke of the "good social responsibility within the Santa Monica community" she has experienced running the store in Santa Monica for the last six years.
Roncone was a volunteer at SAVES Food Bank and is passionate about helping veterans, adding, "I would do anything I could to support the vets."
The ACS Discovery Shop is having a full week of events in celebration of Buy Local, Give Local Week. Attendees of the Buy Local, Give Local festival will have the opportunity to donate at bins set up by the ACS Discovery Shop.
"People can drop off at the festival and get a tax deductible receipt," said Wagner. That receipt is good for 10 percent off at the Discovery Shop for the entire Buy Local, Give Local week.
Both thrift stores hope that participating in Buy Local, Give Local Week can raise the profile of their business throughout the community.
"My hope is that by participating in this it will add to our overall goal in supporting these two groups," Roncone said. "And more people will find out that we are here in Santa Monica and support us during and beyond [Buy Local, Give Local] week."
Wagner hopes that participating in Buy Local, Give Local Week can spread the word about what the Discovery Shop is all about.
"For our shop, it's a way to get the word out in the community that we are here," Wagner said. "We have customers that come in everyday for the first time."
In turn, this may connect the practice of buying locally to an issue that affects communities around the world.
"A lot of people have been affected by cancer," Wagner said. "[Buy Local, Give Local Week] is a way to be a part of the great Santa Monica community ... while also helping those who are affected by cancer."
Businesses included in the Santa Monica Charity Shops and Citywide Sidewalk Sale include:
American Cancer Society Discovery Shop Santa Monica - 920 Wilshire Blvd.
Donors who bring donations to the Santa Monica Discovery Shop during this week, will receive a tax-deduction receipt and 10 percent off their purchase all week at the Discovery Shop in Santa Monica. All week long, come by to get some great deals on the great summer items that we have during the summer clearance side-walk-sale. And for our fall preview event on Saturday, Sept. 19, and Sunday, Sept. 20, we will have our shop filled with fall colors and designs.
Cherry Picked Thrift Shop - 2807 Pico Blvd.
The shop will be participating in the Sidewalk Sale and is offering a summer's end clearance sale of 20-50 percent off most items in the store (over $1). Men/women/children clothing racks 50 percent off, shoes, purses and select books are 30 percent off, accessories, housewares, artwork and toys 20 percent off. Lots of name brand items available to make way for fall/winter merchandise! Your purchase helps support SAVES Food Bank and New Directions Vets Program. A free pastry with your purchase!
Citywide Sidewalk Sale
Any purchase at participating businesses across Santa Monica will help to support the community.
To learn more about Buy Local, Give Local Week, visit http://www.buylocalsantamonica.com.
editor@www.smdp.com
