Michelle Holman and six-month-old Aspen check out the Christmas items at the Goodwill retail store in Minot Nov. 9.

From online auctions to recycling options, charitable thrift stores are finding new ways to do more good in their communities.

Minot’s charity-run thrift stores have been increasing in number, with one added this month and another to open soon. Each has a somewhat different mission but all are focused on supporting a need in the community.

Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch Thrift Store

The Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch thrift store has a long history in Minot of support for the work of ranch’s youth programs. It is one of the ranch’s nine physical stores in North Dakota and Minnesota, but sales also take place through online stores on eBay, Poshmark, Etsy and Amazon.

Each of those online stores also can be accessed from a link at dakotaranch.org. Online is where shoppers from across the country are finding vintage items, jewelry, electronics, brand name items and other special items donated to the ranch stores.

Proceeds from the physical and online stores go to the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation and are included in about $1 million of foundation support given ranch programs on the Minot, Fargo and Bismarck campuses each year.

Laurie Dannewitz, a senior development officer, said the money goes to activities that aren’t reimbursable or eligible for grants but are necessary. It includes the horse feed, medication and other expenses in the equine therapy program. 

The funds have helped purchase therapy and recreational equipment for youth. They support activities such as the wildlife club, in which youth learn fishing and other life skills. The money helps with purchase of supplies for projects such as making birdhouses or 3-D printing, and aids with gas and insurance costs of a mini-bike program.

Minot’s ranch store also assists in the community by honoring client shopping vouchers from agencies that help people find needed resources in the community.

The ranch stores accept all types of donated items in sale-able condition. Clothing not accepted may be able to be marketed through the ranch’s outlet store in Fargo or is recycled.

The Alex Stern Family Foundation recently granted $5,000 to the ranch to underwrite a portion of the cost of a baling system. The baler will increase the capacity to recycle clothing, keep consumer waste out of landfills and increase the recycling income for ranch services.

Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., then Minot store takes donations from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. each of those days, with the exception of Wednesdays.

Another way people have been giving to the Minot ranch store is through volunteering.

“We do rely heavily on our volunteers and we are always looking for new volunteers to come and help at our store or in our warehouse,” said Marney Gonzales, director of retail operations, Fargo. “Volunteers are a big part of what we do. And we have some volunteers that have been at our Minot store for quite a long time.”

Volunteers take on a variety of tasks, from cleaning to merchandising to helping with receipt of donations. 

“We even have volunteer groups that will come in the springtime and summer and hang out and pull weeds and take garbage off our property,” Gonzales said.  “We really allow our volunteers to kind of let us know what they’re comfortable doing and we’ll find a job for them.”

RSI’s ReStore

Volunteers are especially appreciated at ReStore since the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on volunteering, said Karoline Vaagen, manager of the thrift store that supports Rehab Services Inc. (RSI) in Minot..

“People who have community service through the courts, they come in and give us a hand,” Vaagen said.

In the past, the store has worked with Job Corps students and others needing paid employment training, including clients of RSI. Vaagen said they learn not just basics of retail work but general work ethics that carry over into any type of job.

RSI offers programs supporting youth with disabilities in pursuing education, employment and independent living; day habilitation programs, including skills building such as the thrift store opportunities; a residential home for people with disabilities; employment assistance for people with disabilities, addiction recovery programs; and Henry Towers housing.

Jay Klabunde, RSI executive director, said store revenue often goes to provide the “extras” that otherwise would not be available to clients, such as zoo passes or tickets to sporting events. Without that income, RSI couldn’t provide those activities that help integrate people with disabilities into the community, he said.

ReStore is open from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, taking donations those days from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For security reasons, people are asked not to leave donations outside.

Vaagen added ReStore holds a monthly bag sale that provides opportunities for the public to obtain needed items at an affordable price while helping move inventory for new donations.

When items aren’t able to be sold, ReStore works with a company that recycles clothing, shoes and purses in third-world countries or turns them into other items. Electronics also often can be recycled.

Goodwill Retail Store

Minot’s Goodwill store, operated by Easter Seals Goodwill North Dakota (ESGWND), recycles as many of its unmarketable items as it can and is always looking for new outlets for items that don’t yet have a recycling option, said Jodi Hodny, director of retail services in Grand Forks. Some of the recycled items include books, shoes, clothes, bags, belts, toys and media.

 “We really try to minimize what we put in the landfill,” Hodny said. During 2020-21, Easter Seals Goodwill reported keeping nearly two million pounds of recycled goods out of landfills due to its resales and recycling.

ESGWND’s stores also provide job coaching, job training and employment for people with disability and other barriers. Hodny estimated at least 10 people are in training at any given time. 

Some trainees move on to other jobs, while others stay with the store to become staff members. Some are hired as staff and then trained.

“I’ve been with the organization for 11 years and to see the staff grow and their skill set grow, it is just amazing year to year,” Hodny said.

The store also is slowly working to incorporate court-ordered Community Service and other volunteer services back into the operation after shutting that down during the pandemic, she said.

ESGWND has six thrift stores in the state, and each supports programs within those specific communities. ESGWND supports people with a range of barriers to employment, such as lack of education, welfare dependency, criminal record and advanced age. The organization also provides day services and in-home care. Thrift store proceeds often are used to provide extras to support clients served. 

Each thrift store also provides gift cards to agencies in its community that serve families in need. Their clients then can shop the thrift store for needed items.

Minot’s Goodwill store operates Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sundays from noon-5 p.m. Donation hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

When ESGWND receives a high-value donation, it may go to its online auction store, which includes items donated to Goodwill from around the United States. The North Dakota warehouse is in Bismarck, and bidders can search by city and state online to find items. Proceeds from the sales in North Dakota stay in North Dakota.

The website is ShopGoodwill.com. Shopping categories include antiques and collectibles, electronic, art, clothing, home, jewelry and gemstones, musical instruments, toys and games, books, travel, seasonal, wedding and bath and body.

New thrift stores

Minot’s newest charitable thrift store, Twice as Nice, opened earlier this month at 1933 S. Broadway, Suite 3. Co-manager Vivian Wells said it feels good to see individuals and families who are struggling financially be able to purchase items they need. Twice as Nice offers lower than typical thrift store prices because the primary mission is to serve the customers who need the help, she said.

The store also will be providing care packages and vouchers to clients of Minot’s sober living shelters and the Domestic Violence Crisis Crisis Center.

A project of the MHA Nation West Segment community outreach office in Minot, the thrift operation is part of a vision to empower tribal members living in the Minot area by giving them resources to become self-sufficient and give back to the community. It has had start-up support from tribal members from Fort Berthold and Bismarck as well as local donors.

Store hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m.; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Saturdays from noon-4 p.m. A grand opening is being planned for next spring.

Wells said the store opened with a sizable inventory and is limiting donations until its additional show space is available. However, Twice as Nice is taking unexpired food items for the MHA West Segment food pantry. The store asks for new toiletries, such as toothpaste, soaps and razors, to create baskets and take-and-use items for collaborative efforts with community organizations.

Another thrift store called Back Door Treasures, which is to open soon on the main floor of the former YMCA building in downtown Minot, has been taking donations in preparation. Donations of any type of sale-able item can be dropped off Monday through Saturday between 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The new thrift store will be donating revenue to support seniors, disabled veterans and homeless individuals through programs in the community, said Lana Flaten, one of the organizers. Flaten said plans are to provide a quarterly report to document donations, making copies available for consumers at the front desk.

Flaten said another mission of the store will be to provide part-time, accommodating job opportunities to seniors who may not be able to work long hours but need a little extra income.