KENT, Conn.—The long philanthropic history of the Quality Thrift Shop, located adjacent to the First Congregational Church, was reviewed Wednesday, Feb. 18m during the monthly People and Places of Kent session held at the senior xenter.
Gloria Hill, the administrative assistant for the church, Melinda Keck, former pastor, and longtime thrift shop volunteer and board member Carolyn DeVita revisited the past of the shop, recalling when it began in a little room on the lower level of the parish house in 1989 through to today when it does a booming business in the former parsonage.
The women recalled that sisters Bonnie Treacy and Marcy Ames were the sparkplugs behind the effort, which they conceived of as a way to raise money for the church. Both widows, they had always dreamed of opening a shop together and this became their outlet.
The sisters decided that the shop would offer quality clothes at reasonable prices, a practice that continues to this day.
“We get some amazing stuff that’s high end,” reported Keck. “Shirts and pants that would go for $500 or $600—some of them with tags still on them.”
The volunteers research the items donated and price accordingly. “Some people say our prices are high, but if we get something still in its package that would cost $300, we aren’t going to sell if for $10,” she said.
Most items are very reasonably priced, however, selling for pennies on the dollar, and all profits are donated to local nonprofits such as the Kent Community Fund, the Kent Community Nursery School, the Kent Children’s Center and the like. In 2013 alone, just under $62,000 was donated to more than 17 local agencies.
DeVita said donations are distributed based on need. “People apply and the board decides,” she said.
Keck added that the donations are made to organizations and not to individuals.
The success of the thrift shop has grown steadily over the decades. When it first opened its doors 36 years ago, its first-month sales totaled $169, less than is collected in one day now. Discover Litchfield Hills cited the Quality Thrift Shop in 2024 as a “hidden gem,” one of the eight best thrift shops in Litchfield County.
Hall recalled that when the shop occupied one room in the parish house it was located across the hall from her office. “It was so much fun to go in and shop,” she said. “The one room did pretty well. The first year they made $4,500, but it went progressively down until we moved.”
The move came when Keck became the church’s part-time minister in 1995. Keck explained that she already had a home in New Milford and did not need the parsonage. The building was remodeled for its new use, and the shop was moved to a more visible location.
While it started as a church outreach program, it soon attracted the attention of other volunteers. “When it was enlarged, it was given its own entity within the church,” Keck recalled. “It has its own board of directors, and it was important to add volunteers from the community.”
Prior to Covid, 40 volunteers, about half church members and half from the community at large, were involved in its operations, a number that has dwindled somewhat to 28. The Board of Directors now has a mixture of church and community members, as well.
Keck noted that many of the early volunteers have now died. “It’s wonderful to look back and think of all the work they did,” she said.
More volunteers are always welcome and can commit for two- or four-hour shifts and choose from a variety of tasks to perform. “It’s like therapy for our volunteers,” said DeVita.
Some people don’t like to work the register but can unpack bags, put price tags on articles, or straighten clothes on the racks.
Asked to name some of the interesting things that have been donated over the years the women recalled a ceremonial bridal costume from a foreign culture and an old-fashioned gramophone with a horn-shaped speaker.
Located at 99 North Main St., the shop is generally open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call 860-927-3287.
