Local store offers thrifty options

by Alexis Lahr
Staff Writer

It may seem like Old Town La Verne is dominated by antique shops and restaurants, but shoppers do not have to search far beyond D Street to discover a store offering something different. The Lutheran High Thrift Shop seems to have something for everyone.

The shop sells a variety of used items, including clothing, toys, sports equipment and collectibles. It even sells items that are normally not associated with thrift stores, such as old baseballs, bottles of conditioner and Reader's Digest magazines from a few years ago.

University of La Verne student Sara Kears occasionally shops at the store.

"It's cool that La Verne has a thrift store and that it's still up and running after all these years," she said. "The people are nice there and it's well kept."

The proceeds from the store benefit Lutheran High School, which is located on Fruit Street in La Verne.

In the past, the money has been used for various school needs, such as a bus, a distance learning center and roof repairs.

Volunteer manager, Nancy Wells, said the store was originally owned by the Parent Guild of Lutheran High School, which is similar to PTA. Controversy between parents made it difficult to run the shop effectively, so the school decided to have an outside party handle it.

The store has been restructured and the school board now has the final say on store matters. The store operates with two paid employees, several volunteers and daily contact with the school principal and vice principal.

The shop has been in existence for 28 years, however not all of those years have been at the Bonita location. The school used to operate three stores, but decided to scale back to one.

Wells said there have been some tough years where the store barely made a profit, however business has been better in the past few years.

Donations keep the store stocked with merchandise to sell.

Anyone who has items to donate can simply drop them off during business hours. Lutheran High Thrift Shop cannot accept certain items, such as pillows and mattresses, because they have no way to sanitize them.

Due to their space limitations, they also cannot accept large appliances and furniture.

Wells said the holiday months are the busiest while the summertime is the slowest.

"It's a hard business to gage," she said. "We never know what our merchandise is going to be and it's hard to know who your customers are."

Because the shop depends on donations, merchandise can run low at times. When that happens, "I pray for stuff, and it works every time," Wells said.

On selected Sundays different groups of students from Lutheran High run the store for the day and get to keep the profits for their organization.

It works as a fundraiser for the students and gives the volunteers a break. Wells said the shop is not an easy business to run, but when she sees how the money is used, it makes it worth the effort.

"It's rewarding and a lot of fun," she said.

The Lutheran High Thrift Shop is located at 2125 Bonita Avenue. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on selected Sundays.